


The Anaheim Project

by Gmni76



Series: Future War [3]
Category: Terminator (Movies), Terminator - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Sex, F/F, Future shit, G!P Grace Harper, Life in the Apocalypse, Porn With Plot, Slow Burn, Smut, Ultraviolence, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:08:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 75,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24427768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gmni76/pseuds/Gmni76
Summary: “Cause one day moves into twoAnd I'm losingEverything except for youAnd I would sing you a song of devotionThat’s what I should do.It's the book of daysIt's the way things layNow that's just space and timeI gave it upAll for your love, that won’t be defined.”-Amy RayThis is Part 3 of Ouroboros and Highgate
Relationships: Grace Harper/Dani Ramos
Series: Future War [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764226
Comments: 48
Kudos: 73





	1. The Future of War

Between the years 2036 and 2042, humanity’s war with the machines grew into a battle of wits. The war had become a game of tic-tac-toe that neither side could win. Legion came up with ever more imaginative ways of fighting the Resistance. It was often a battle of hide-and-seek, in which human soldiers would look for the machines, only to find deathtraps laid by the dirty bastards. Rev-9 model machines would kill and copy people; luring unsuspecting human forces into ambushes. The machines not only copied and killed, hid and sought; but they began some extreme terrorist measures. When groups of human soldiers would land in a specific area, Legion would find them, corral them, and pick them off one at a time. The machines would wound a member of the Resistance group, for example, making sure that the humans were busy taking care of one person. It slowed the humans down and distracted them while Legion began a slow assault on the remaining soldiers. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the soldiers got to watch the deaths of their comrades. Legion put the fear of the gods into humanity, making them watch disembodied heads of their friends roll into camp. Fires would be set around the Resistance groups, trapping them, setting them ablaze. Legion would impale delicate bodies on fence posts, delineator poles, or hang corpses from trees. The mangled, tangled bodies of Resistance soldiers served as reminders that Legion was far from done with them. 

The Resistance, on the other hand, had perfected augmentation by 2040. The last soldier to die during the process lost his life in 2039. Scientists at Highgate had found the key to keeping soldiers alive during the heavily invasive transformation from human to cyborg. Manipulation of the amygdala and hypothalamus glands proved successful in the creation of super soldiers. With so many foreign pieces and machine parts stuffed inside of organic flesh, the brain simply wanted to die. It could not cope with the metal, wiring, and radioactivity as a simple, human brain. Highgate scientists found a way to block certain signals from the hypothalamus to the adrenal glands, limiting the amount of adrenaline an augment produced during the surgeries. Basically, the human brain went into an elevated state of panic at the invasion, and tried to just shut down. With the chemical blockers, the soldiers did not immediately become overwhelmed by the new technology residing inside them. The manipulation helped a great deal in battle also, keeping augments calm, allowing them to think before charging in blindly. The process was, overall, a brilliant success. Super soldiers were able to take on the machines in close combat. A single augmented warrior became like ten regular soldiers. The downside to successful augmentation was the low life expectancy of those soldiers. On average, if an augment wasn’t directly killed in battle, they only lived for a few months after surgery. Legion hardware, thorium reactors, extensive wiring, and synthetic blood simply did not mix well with human bodies for long periods of time. Dani Ramos knew this fact going in. That’s why she kept the augmentation process as a volunteer-only program. She personally interviewed every soldier willing to undergo the process. She would seriously warn them against it, detailing all the side effects, the medications necessary to live, and the odds of survival. Most volunteers went ahead with it anyway. The school of thought was that their individual sacrifices were for the greater good. If Dani believed they were doing it for the right reasons, she would then allow them to go through with it. If she detected even a shadow of doubt, she rejected applications without a second thought. 

The military base at Mexico City had been compromised in a Blitzkrieg style battle with Legion in 2040. Wave after wave of Legion aircraft dropped conventional weapons over the city. The evacuation to the north was on again. It seemed no matter where Commander Ramos was, Legion was driving her out. The Resistance 1st Rangers escorted Commander Ramos to Anaheim, California to the small military base outside of Los Angeles. It was safely underground, deeper than most bases had been. The Anaheim base had been a top-secret installation of the Centers for Disease Control back before the war. The base was several stories underground. Back in the day, it was a lab, where the world’s deadliest viruses were pulled apart and examined. The Resistance had cleared all of that out and took up residence deep below the surface. It was one of the last human strongholds remaining untainted by the war. 

The base at Anaheim served another purpose as well. Rumor had it that Legion was working on a time displacement chamber in Los Angeles. It was believed that the machines were preparing to go back in the timeline and change something, redirecting the outcome of the war. Details were not forthcoming. The Resistance presence at Anaheim kept the humans close enough to watch and wait. Dani had known this was coming. She did not know how close the machines were to successful time travel. Before 2020, time travel was just a theory. The machines were advanced enough, even though they operated on purely human borne technology, that they could figure it out quickly. Commander Ramos had dedicated every human and augmented soldier to finding and destroying the TDC before Legion could complete it. 

Grace Harper spent most of her days training new recruits. There had been an influx of survivors coming in to Anaheim, once they heard about the augmentation process. Many wanted to become super soldiers until they heard the downside. Most people stayed on, however, learning how to fight as regular soldiers for the Resistance. Grace had considered augmentation, but put it away in the back of her mind as a last resort. She wouldn’t do it if she didn’t have to. She also understood that the likelihood of Dani letting her do it without a fight was pretty slim. Instead, for the time being, Grace placated her sense of duty, devotion, and loyalty (to Dani of course) by teaching new recruits how to fight. Half of her time was spent in a gym underground. Day in and day out, Grace showed young women and men hand-to-hand techniques. The rest of her time was committed to weapons training, driving and flying Resistance vehicles. There was always a way for simple humans to shut down individual machines. By 2042, the Resistance had captured enough specimens of machine to train the entire army. Once the neural nets were disconnected from Legion, the machines were just ghosts. Grace trained new soldiers how to attack without being hurt or killed. Of course, it was much easier to practice on a ghost than a live Rev. She knew that a fight with the Rev-9 models was risky, at best, for non-augmented soldiers. It was not impossible to kill a Rev-9 as a pure human, so Grace pushed soldiers forward on how to best combat Legion’s perfect killer. 

Anaheim was only 30 minutes away from Los Angeles. The roads between them were mostly destroyed. The L.A. city proper was burned out, having been bombed early in the war. The city was a ruined testament to humanity’s destructive powers. In the later years of the war with machines, Legion had beaten humanity into the ground, quite literally. The human death toll was so high, it was easier to count the number of people remaining rather than the number that had died. The base at Anaheim only housed about 400 people. After that, the number of recruits and survivors plateaued. After 2041, no more people came. With that information, Legion halted production on new machines. Legion seemed to understand how much more efficient it would be to deter humans with what they already had, not wasting time or resources producing more machines unless it was necessary. In the early years, it was a fundamental part of Legion’s operations to overwhelm humanity with sheer numbers. Now, with the organic population dwindling, Legion saw no reason to continue heavy manufacturing. On the other hand, the Resistance had located many of the manufacturing stations and destroyed them. Legion did not have time now to retaliate and still continue building. Both sides were growing desperate for victory. 

Somewhere, hidden below the earth, stood the one thing coming between the Resistance and final victory. Commander Ramos devoted her time and resources to finding that one thing. Armed with the knowledge of the past, Dani knew what Legion was doing in Los Angeles. Legion was armed with the entirety of humanity’s history. That included science, science fiction, and a vast array of new Legion technology. It was only a matter of time. Dani tried not to be amused by the irony. She knew they had to act fast. 

Grace was scheduled to go on a recon mission in the next several hours. Resistance intelligence had determined that Legion had an underground post in L.A. Night after night, machines filed into and out of a hole in the ground like ants. Dani had wondered if this was the entrance to the TDC. Without forces to go in and find out, there was no way of knowing. Sending people in was as good as a death sentence on those soldiers. Dani was looking for a way to draw the machines out of the ground in order to give human soldiers the best chance of getting in undetected. Grace’s team was going out to figure out how to do that. 

Grace gathered her equipment, strapped on her armor, and made the short walk from the loading dock to Dani’s office. The summer of 2042 was hotter than it had been in recent memory. Grace had cut off the sleeves of her uniform one day on her last mission. She actually thought it made her look fiercer, more formidable with her muscles showing. It wasn’t that Legion cared what she looked like. It was more to inspire the newer soldiers to follow her through hell, if she looked the part. She had her hair cut short again. Another soldier gave her the standard Resistance bowl cut. It kept her hair out of her eyes, off of her ears, and off her neck. It was more a matter of functionality, because the heavy Resistance helmets fit tightly even without a lot of hair. These days she longed for her boonie hat, but she’d lost it two years earlier in a firefight with Legion tanks and Rev-2s. The missions were far more dangerous now, since the soldiers were basically sneaking into Legion’s back yard every week. Grace wasn’t sure what she was looking for. Nothing of value existed in LA anymore. There was nothing left to blow up or burn down. Creating a diversion to lure Legion away from whatever it was protecting was going to be extremely difficult. 

Dani’s office door was open a crack. Grace stopped outside, listening carefully. If Dani was in a meeting, she didn’t want to intrude. From inside, Grace could hear the soft hum of a Spanish love song. Grace recognized the tune as something Dani would sing her to sleep with. The blonde warrior closed her eyes and took a deep breath, held it, and made herself etch the moment into her memory. The moments they spent together before Grace went out were more than important. Both women knew the dangers and understood that every final moment together could very well be the last. Grace reached out and put her hand against the metal door, pushing it slowly open. Dani sat at her desk, facing away, looking at a map of Southern California pinned to the far wall. She continued humming to herself, unaware of Grace’s presence in the room. Grace silently approached like a ninja. She was so light on her feet that Dani never heard her coming. Grace often had to announce herself in order to avoid scaring Dani out of her wits. Today, the blonde snuck up on her, kneeled behind her, and gently spun Dani’s desk chair around slowly, to face her. 

“I knew you’d be here soon.” Dani uncrossed her legs and smiled at Grace. She felt her pulse quicken upon seeing the blonde decked out in full war gear. Dani admitted, privately, that Grace was completely sexy with no sleeves. Her muscles protruded in just the right ways under the gloves and armor. The neck guard on Grace’s vest came up halfway along her throat, protecting vital arteries and veins. For some reason, Dani always thought that was hot. It wasn’t the uniform, it was the way her partner wore it. Grace reached out and grabbed the seat of Dani’s chair, wheeling it closer so that she rested between the Commander’s thighs. Dani instinctively wrapped her legs around Grace, holding her. Grace looked up at the brave commander, nothing but love and admiration in her gaze. Dani ran her fingers through Grace’s shaggy, short hair. When she did that, it pulled at Grace’s skin a little, making the blonde look less like a strong warrior, and more like the woman Dani bedded down with at night. Dani bit her bottom lip, suddenly feeling a strong wave of desire for Grace. “Kiss me, lover.” Dani whispered, pulling Grace forward by the back of her neck and head. Silently, Grace submitted, leaning in to press her lips softly against her partner’s. Dani deepened the kiss, running her tongue across Grace’s bottom lip. Grace responded with her own tongue, finding Dani’s and beginning the dance. Grace could make out with Dani all day. She loved the taste of the brunette’s mouth, the smell of her breath, the closeness they shared. Kissing Dani, to Grace, was home. This moment shared between them reminded both what they were fighting for. Grace reached out and slid her hands under Dani’s thighs, and stood almost without effort, pulling the Commander up with her. Grace held her close and tightly, walking her over to the arm chair on the other side of the room. She backed up. As she sat down, Dani released her leg lock around Grace, straddling the blonde instead. 

“I have a few minutes. I just want to be comfortable with you for now till I have to go load equipment.” Grace explained, as she slowly unbuttoned Dani’s fatigue shirt. This wasn’t fair to the Commander, who had no chance of removing Grace’s armor. But she knew that Grace needed to feel her before going. Dani always allowed Grace some intimate contact before she left, if time and place allowed it. She let the blonde slip her hands up under her t-shirt. Grace’s fingertips were heaven on her flesh, light and still somehow demanding. Dani smiled at Grace, always amazed at the depth of her blue eyes. She could feel Grace’s rigid cock between her legs. 

“How do you want to spend that few minutes, soldier?” Dani asked, softly grinding her hips down over Grace’s shaft. The blonde closed her eyes and moaned softly, pressing back up against Dani. 

“I think you know, Commander.” Grace whispered, losing her breath and every modicum of control to her cunning lover. Dani took that control with her hips, slowly grinding against Grace’s bulge, feeling the member grow and harden fully. She knew how Grace felt about going out on a mission soft. The blonde preferred going out rock hard. It helped her muster more courage, and it made her fucking fierce. Dani had learned how to take the warrior toward her orgasm without making her come. For the next fifteen minutes, behind the closed door of her office, Dani edged Grace three times.


	2. Atlas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But hold me fast, Hold me fast  
> 'Cause I'm a hopeless wanderer  
> I wrestled long with my youth  
> We tried so hard to live in the truth  
> But do not tell me all is fine  
> When I lose my head, I lose my spine.” 
> 
> -Mumford and Sons

Dani had a somewhat unusual day planned. She had two new recruits coming in for interviews before lunch. Two more soldiers had volunteered for augmentation this week. Dani sincerely wished they didn’t have to go through any of this. She had not wanted it to go this far. Deep inside, Dani had hoped for a break in the timeline; hoped for something that might stop this nightmare and end the war. Everything was on track to happen all over again. In the quiet of her office, over a cup of instant coffee, Commander Ramos wondered how many times she had done this already. She wondered if some part of her would remember doing it again. What she could not help thinking about was the fact that she would ultimately send Grace back in time to protect her. As much as she did not want to do that, she knew that Grace was the most qualified, the best trained, highly devoted person to do it. Grace would care for her on a level that no other Resistance soldier would. Dani secretly felt jealous of her past self. That unaware child that she was would get the very best of Grace in the prime of their lives, for no longer than four days. Dani now would end up having to live without Grace for the rest of her life. It was for the good of humanity. It was the only way that she knew of right now. Unless there was a major disruption in the timeline that changed everything, Dani would, unwillingly, send Grace through the time displacement device. Grace knew what was coming, but she really didn’t say too much about it after their last night at Highgate. Dani had told Grace several days earlier about her being the anonymous soldier that came back to save her. Grace took that information and internalized it, and Dani never really knew what she was thinking about it. She had asked Grace if she would do it, if it came right down to the wire. All Grace said was “probably.” That was the last time they spoke about augmentation and time travel, as it pertained to their relationship. Grace was in all the meetings concerning the TDC and augmentation of Resistance soldiers. Grace had been the one to train the super soldiers, but they were just far beyond her human capabilities. Dani knew Grace’s limitations without enhancements, and she also understood that it made Grace feel inferior sometimes, to watch augments fight way beyond her natural abilities. Dani decided to bring in an expert and a friend. 

She had an expected flight coming in from Highgate. They were bringing more subdermal wire mesh, a stockpile of medications, and a newly augmented soldier to help Grace move forward with training. The flight was scheduled at 1400 hours that day, long after Grace’s team had departed. Dani also planned Grace’s birthday party. The blonde warrior hated things that were about her, publicly. She hated parties, but she secretly loved that Dani thought so much about her. Dani believed that marking Grace’s years was an important milestone to carving out her own memory of their time together. By Dani’s account, Grace was eight years old when Judgement Day happened. She spent the next few years, maybe 2 years, according to Grace, running and hiding with her family. Another four or five years alone after that before Dani found her. By her calculations, Grace was 30 years old this year. Giving Grace a birthday party meant a lot to Dani. She believed that acknowledging her partner was important. The team from Highgate was also bringing in Grace’s birthday gift. 

The first interviewee was coming in shortly. Dani walked over to the mess hall for another cup of terrible coffee. She drank it purely for the caffeine. She wished there had been some milk or creamer of some sort, but even Anaheim did not have access to such luxurious items. They were lucky to have soap and meat twice a week for meals. Getting a regular supply of beef or pork would be worth winning this war, Dani thought. She shook off her sudden craving for a cheeseburger, and went back to her office. A tech from the command center waved her down on her way back. 

“Commander, have a look at this, would you?” The tech showed Dani a map on a computer screen. It looked like a radar field, green with red blips moving toward a center area. 

“What am I looking at, soldier?” Dani leaned over the tech’s shoulder, trying to get a better view. 

“This is Lieutenant Harper’s team, here.” The soldier pointed to the largest red blip. The tech told her they were heading for Los Angeles International Airport, where the TDC was believed to be under construction. “And this,” the tech switched screens to another layer view of the same area, that looked like infrared. “This is the thermal signature of the airport. Look here.” The tech pointed below the foundation of the structure. There was a red and orange and whitish glow coming from deep beneath the roads and tarmacs. 

“Do you think that’s it, soldier? What is your name?” Dani knew instantly what she was looking at. The heat being generated by whatever that was required a great deal of energy to operate. It could only be one thing. 

“My name is Lloyd, ma’am.” 

“First or last?” Dani asked absentmindedly, studying the blob of heat on the screen. 

“Both, ma’am.” Dani chuckled louder than she meant to. 

“Your name is Lloyd Lloyd?” She backed up to have a better look at the tech soldier. He smiled at her from underneath his glasses, pushed them up further onto his nose, and nodded. “Well, Lloyd Lloyd. Keep an eye on this. Is there anywhere else in the city that emits a signal this strong?” 

“Commander, there’s nowhere else in the world that emits a signal this strong. At least not one that we’ve seen.” Lloyd explained. He sat back in his chair, pinning Dani’s fingers between his back and the seat back. She pulled herself free without a thought. She ran her thumb across the fading scar on her left palm. 

“Why are we only seeing this now, soldier?” 

“It just came online today, ma’am.” 

Fuck, Dani thought. There was not as much time as she had hoped. She stared at the screen, lost in herself for a moment before the glowing blob blinked twice and disappeared. “What was that? What happened?” Dani asked, straightening herself back up. 

LLoyd tapped a few buttons on his screen before shaking his head. “I don’t know, Commander. It’s offline again.” They waited for a few minutes to see if the signal would reappear, but it did not. 

“Keep me updated, Lloyd.” Dani put her hand on the man’s shoulder reassuringly. She had no idea how much time was left. Legion was most likely working faster than the Resistance could. “If you or your team get anything else, I don’t care if it’s two in the morning, you report it to me directly.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” Lloyd continued monitoring the area. “Lieutenant Harper’s team is very close to whatever it is. We should radio them and urge them to proceed with caution.” Dani gave the okay to relay the message. 

Dani took her lukewarm coffee into her office and slumped in her desk chair. Had Legion really come so far already? Had that many years passed? Dani, herself, had reached the ripe old age of 44. In this new and horrible world, she was practically geriatric. Today, she felt every single one of her years closing in on her. It was June, and if Grace counted correctly when she traveled back to the past, Dani only had 6 months at most to change things and end this war. 

Her first interview that morning was with a young man named Chris. He had joined the Resistance last fall when his parents died. They hadn’t been killed by machines. His family had been living in Santa Monica when some strange form of the flu swept through and killed half the population. Disease was no longer as big of a problem with so few people remaining. Humanity lived in isolated pockets now, so transmission of disease was less likely than in previous years. Chris had fled to Anaheim as soon as he heard about the base. News did not travel fast unless you were part of the Resistance. 

Dani began asking him the standard questions about why he was volunteering for augmentation. His answers were also pretty standard. He no longer had family to take care of. He was alone, looking for something more meaningful to do with his life. He was loyal to the Resistance. He wanted to make a difference. Chris sounded like a recruiting ad for the Marines of the past. He was full of piss and vinegar and really had no clue what he was doing. Dani leaned over her desk, staring him down, and asked him if he was aware of the dangers of augmentation. She asked if he understood the limited life expectancy, the side effects of fine-tuned metabolism, the scars, the stares and sneers by others who disagreed with the process of turning humans into machines. She could tell by his silence that he had not given it much thought. She shook her head and declined his application straight out. She told him to think about it for another 6 months and come back if he still wanted to. Hopefully, she thought, this would all be over by then. 

The second interviewee was a boy, barely 18 years old, named Jerry. He never showed up. It was just as well, Dani thought. She really did not want to accept any more barely eligible candidates. It was bad enough these kids wore the uniforms and carried the weapons. It was bad enough that children were dying for the human race. Dani would give everything for a thousand Graces. 

The no-show gave Dani time to lay back in her arm chair and try to get a nap before the flight from Highgate arrived. She wasn’t hungry for lunch. She would be grateful for her partner’s counsel right now. She felt the great burden on her shoulders, the true weight of the world. She closed her eyes and tried to remember her morning with Grace in that same chair. She loved having such a huge effect on Grace physically. She knew exactly how to work the blonde into a complete frenzy. She loved Grace’s self-control, not allowing herself to release before going out. Dani had wondered how blue-balling her girlfriend would affect her performance in the field. Grace told her it was actually a really good feeling to go out hard like that. She said her whole body felt electrified for hours. What’s more was the excitement over Grace coming home tonight. She’d be ready for more as soon as she stepped into the loading bay. Dani loved Grace’s aggression when she first got home. She tried not to think about how much she would miss her partner in less than one fucking year. It wasn’t enough time together. They hadn’t learned everything there was to learn. Dani felt panic set in, deep inside of her. The thought of losing Grace hit her in the face like a brick. She refused to cry. She’d known this truth for years, decades. There was just no way to prepare herself for the actual event though. The closer the day got; the more afraid Dani grew. What if she never allowed Grace to be augmented? Then she’d have every reason to forbid Grace to go back. Instead she’d have to send someone else. There was no one else Dani trusted with her life like that. No one who she, in the past, at 22 years old, would listen to besides Grace. Even in the wake of her brother’s violent death, the presumed death of her father, Dani trusted Grace like family. She took the blonde’s word and immediately acted on faith, following Grace all the way to the end. There was a moment in Mexico City, when Grace was crashing and Dani was ready to go to the police. That was when she knew she trusted Grace. “Dani, please.” Daniella Ramos knew without knowing that Grace would protect her with her very life. 

An hour later, there was a knock at Dani’s office door. She had fallen asleep and dreamed of Grace. They were in the past, at the water tower. In the dream, Grace was twice her actual height. Her voice was so deep and sure. Even in the utter ridiculousness of the dream, Dani trusted the woman. 

She stood, straightened her uniform shirt, smoothed her hair back, and opened the door. It was Lloyd. “Ma’am, the flight from Highgate has arrived.” Lloyd seemed like the type of person who always just got straight to the point. 

“Thanks, Lloyd. Any new information on the radar?” Dani asked as she slipped past him into the hallway. 

“No, Commander. Nothing at all.” 

“Good.” Dani whispered and walked down toward the loading bay. 

The doors were open, a single Wasp had landed just inside. There had been no sign of incoming Legion forces. Dani watched as the bay doors slowly closed again, listening to the giant gears behind the walls grind out the sound of security. The Wasp cargo door opened at the craft’s belly. A long ramp emerged and Dani watched two sets of boots begin the descent to the floor. She couldn’t believe her eyes. These two had been mere children when she saw them four years ago. Dane Lewis was all grown up, now 21 years old. Stacy Lewis was now 17. Dani tried to bite back her tears, but could not help the overwhelming surge of emotion. Her friends had arrived. Stacy broke into a run, heading directly for Dani. Stacy now stood at least 4 inches taller than Dani. 

Commander Ramos opened her arms to welcome the girl. Stacy stopped just short of Dani, wrapped her arms around her and picked her up off the ground. “Oh my God, Dani! It’s so good to see you!” Dani hugged Stacy hard. The girl had blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Stacy’s hair was a dark shade of red, her face unmarred by the years. Her features were beginning to mature and settle into permanence. She let Dani down gently. She was crying too. “It’s been four years, Dani! I have so much to tell you!” Stacy was so excited, and it was contagious. Dani felt like a giddy child again, happy to have the girl’s friendly face around again. 

Dane Lewis was the same height, give or take an inch. He’d been nearly as tall as Grace at 17. His skin had cleared up. He had a red beard and a mustache now. He looked very handsome. His Resistance uniform was clean, neat, and pressed. Dani could tell that Dane took his job seriously, as much as Anne Morris would have. Dane stepped forward and offered Dani a salute first. She nearly slapped his hand down. “No, you come here, young man!” The swell of adoration and pride for the young sergeant overwhelmed Dani in that moment and she wept as Dane bent and gently hugged her. His young body was hard. It was harder than Dani believed it should be. When Dane Lewis pulled back, and Commander Ramos could wipe her tears away to see again; she saw the long, thin white scars down his neck. The crescent moons under his eyes, the star shaped scars along his throat where his t-shirt did not cover. Dane was augmented. Dani had known that he had become a very skilled fighter and could help Grace with the augments. When she had spoken to Anne Morris a few weeks before, Morris had said nothing about this. Dani reached up and cupped Dane’s cheek with her scarred hand, one augmented soldier to another. 

Dani turned to look at Stacy for the same enhancement scars. Stacy shook her head, “Not for me. I could not go through with it.” She offered Dani a comforting smile. “Where’s Grace?” 

Dani shook off the emotion of the reunion. “Grace is out on a mission. She’s scheduled to be back by nightfall. Oh, you guys! She’s going to absolutely flip when she sees you two. Come on, we have shit to do before she gets here.” Commander Ramos led them back to the privacy of her office. Dane carried his rifle, a duffel bag, and a large leather case. Stacy had a pack and a rifle. Dani instructed Lloyd to make accommodations for them and have their gear sent to their quarters. She offered the two something to eat, coffee, whatever they needed. Dane handed over his duffel bag and his rifle, keeping the leather case. Stacy heaped everything she had into Lloyd’s overloaded arms. She turned every bit of her attention to Dani, wanting to know absolutely everything about the last four years. 

Dani took her regular place behind her desk, as Dane sat the case in front of her. He sat down in the opposite chair where an interviewee had recently been rejected. Stacy flopped down into the comfortable armchair behind them. Dane Lewis slid the case toward her, unfastened the buckle, and opened it. It was Grace’s birthday gift. It was wrapped carefully in Resistance black cloth. Dane stood and helped Dani to lift it. It was heavy. He set it down in front of her to unwrap. She pulled back the layers of material, exposing a very plain looking, white rock. She was unsure what she was looking at, or the significance of it. Dane smiled slyly and shifted it around toward her, revealing the most beautiful red-brown geode Dani had ever seen in her life. The deep amber colored crystal inside the rock was absolutely breathtaking. She had never seen a geode this size before. “I accidentally shot this a few months ago. I was hunting deer in the park one day and I missed a shot. The bullet ricocheted and broke the rock in half, and I could see it in the sunlight. It was so perfect. I immediately thought of you, Commander. It’s the same color as your eyes.” Dane Lewis looked closely at Dani for her reaction. Dani remembered the night he saw her half naked in the darkness. Her face began to flush with embarrassment. “I thought it would be a good gift for you to give to Grace, to remind her of you. Really, it’s my gift...to you.” Dane’s voice got low at the end. Dani knew exactly what had just happened. 

“He had a crush on you for years, Dani.” Stacy blurted out. Dani looked over his shoulder at the girl who was lounging carelessly over the arms of the couch. Dane turned to her and shot her a fiery look. 

“Shut up, Stacy! You asshole!” Dani watched the young man’s face turn the same color as his facial hair. 

“Dane, it’s perfect. Thank you. It’s absolutely perfect.” Dani whispered, turning her attention back to the volcanic stone. “Where’s the other half?” 

“I kept it.” Dane admitted. Dani wondered suddenly if his presence would be a problem for her. She imagined he still had a crush on her now, if not something even more. 

Dani steered them out of her office and gave them the grand tour. The Anaheim base wasn’t much to look at. It was a circular construction; everything was accessible from everywhere else. Basically, Anaheim was several levels of circles stacked on top of each other. The Structure had a main area in the center, open for command and common activities. Everything else ran together in a circular path. As she led them toward the housing area, she showed them where their individual rooms were. She took them to the second floor below where there was another open area, devoted to training. Dani told Dane that he would be working with Grace there. She asked him if he was fully augmented. He nodded and said “from the eyes to the toes.” He had been augmented months before, eager to join the fight at his next available opportunity. Dani offered him a place with the Rangers at Anaheim, but he politely refused, saying his true loyalty was with the kids back in Wyoming. Dani not only respected that; she was grateful to know he would be leaving at some point. 

As they continued walking around, looking at everything, Dani felt the familiar hold on her shirt. She looked behind her, though not completely. It was simply to acknowledge the girl’s presence. “Sorry, just a habit.” Stacy whispered. Dani reached behind her and clasped her hand over the young woman’s. Grace was absolutely going to flip.


	3. The Best Laid Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Now I'm grasping at straws  
> You've got me grasping at straws  
> He's a motivator  
> He's got a wire inside  
> A chronic masturbator  
> With love in his eyes.” 
> 
> -L7

Grace’s team landed, not quietly, at an old above ground parking complex near LAX. Grace could see the terminal clearly through her field glasses. The Scorpion aircraft that dropped her team took off to the east in order to draw Legion’s attention away from the Rangers. There was no movement that Grace could discern at the moment. The sun beat down on the soldiers sitting on the flat asphalt rooftop. There was no shade, no cover. Faded yellow and white lines marked out ancient parking spots for weary travelers. There were quite a few abandoned cars on the lower levels. Everything up here was toast during the first battles of the war. If Legion spotted them from the air, they were as good as dead, Grace thought. She continued to scan the area for signs of activity, but in the noon sun, there was just nothing. Intel reports had suggested a steady stream of Legion activity in and out of the airport terminal. Grace did not understand the lull. 

Ruiz moved up beside her. She handed him the field glasses, leaned over the edge of the roof and spat over the side. “Fucking machines. They should act like clockworks. Right on time. This is weird.” She cursed Legion for its unpredictability. That was half the reason the Resistance was losing so many battles. The machines had changed their routines all around. Ruiz mumbled something about cheap airfare and handed the binoculars back to Grace. She put the cord around her neck. She turned around and pressed her back against the concrete wall behind her. Her helmet was stifling. It offered no protection from the midday sun. “Fuck this thing.” She said, unsnapping the chin strap and pulling the black helmet away from her head. Her hair was drenched in sweat. The slight breeze felt good against her wet skin. She ran a hand through her blonde hair, pushing it back off her forehead. Ruiz turned around and leaned beside her, pulling a canteen out of his bag. The two shared water and bread on the rooftop. Other soldiers hunkered near them, doing the same. Grace did not give out vocal orders in these types of missions. Rangers were expected to watch her and Ruiz, and follow their lead at all times. Grace had reduced her words to the Rangers to the series of tongue clicks, which they all knew by now. The youngest soldier on her team was a girl who was about 16. Grace thought she was lying about her age. She believed the girl to be no older than maybe 13 years old. Grace allowed her on the team because the girl had nowhere else to go. She reminded Grace of Stacy Lewis a few years ago, alone and vulnerable. At least this way, Grace could put a gun in the girl’s hand, teach her to fight, and keep an eye on her. Grace just made it a point not to get to know the kid. 

The scream of Legion engines came out of nowhere. Grace looked up just in time to watch three HKs zoom over their heads. She threw her hand up in the air, making a circular motion, then pointing to the ramps leading down. The Rangers rounded up and followed her downstairs before the Legion aircraft could come back. On the second level, Grace found a window overlooking the airport terminal. They had been on the wrong side of the airport. The HKs landed on the runway behind the main building. That’s where all the action was. She cursed Legion again, and silently ordered the Rangers to move out. The soldier with the radio signaled the Scorpion pilot that they were on the move to the west side of the airport complex. 

Grace hated moving in daylight with no tree cover. This type of in-your-face operation was not her style. She had only one augmented soldier in her ranks at the moment. A soldier named Felipe was fully enhanced and was probably the only one capable of outrunning the machines. Grace pulled him aside on the way across the street. They crouched behind a burned out taxi cab and she asked him if he saw an opening, would he be willing to get in close to building. Of course, Felipe was more than happy to cooperate. He had yet to test and use his enhancements in the field. Grace believed she was sending the man on a suicide mission. It was probably true. She told him she’d be right on his ass the whole way. She’d never let a Ranger take on a dangerous operation like that without support. He agreed and lead her toward the tarmac west of their location. 

Sure enough, Legion machines were moving in and out of that side of the airport. Grace and Felipe huddled together behind a broke down luggage cart. She laid on the ground and rolled underneath the trailer, holding her rifle steady at the baggage entrance. That is where the machines were coming and going from. They were loading boxes onto the conveyer belt. Grace watched crates disappear into the airport. Felipe laid down and rolled under next to her. She whispered to him to wait for the signal. Ruiz and the rest of the team were setting up a distraction. They had mortars in their possession. Ruiz planned on firing several shots in the opposite direction, alerting Legion to the explosions. Hopefully it would draw off enough machines that Grace and Felipe could get a better look. From her position under the baggage trailer, Grace heard three distinct clicks. She raised her head up, looked over Felipe’s chest, to see the youngest soldier, Maddie, pointing behind them. Grace twisted on her back to look between the wheels of the cart. She could see metal feet heading her way. Not just metal feet, but a lot of metal feet. Fuck, she thought, clenching her jaw tight. She tapped Felipe and pointed in their direction. He looked, nodded at Grace, and suddenly rolled out from under the trailer. She silently tried to grab and stop him, but Felipe was already on his feet yelling at the machines. She laid there, paralyzed, listening to the fight begin. Felipe fired shots back and forth, spraying the machines with an even pattern of bullets. When he ran out of ammo, Grace began shooting from her position. Suddenly, she heard the distant boom of mortars firing, followed by ten or twelve seconds of silence before the shells landed in the broken earth somewhere far away. She counted 20 feet. There were ten terminators out there. She could hear Felipe yell and grunt, and she watched one machine fall to the ground, its red eyes staring right at her. She rolled out from under the trailer to stand and fight. Maddie opened fire to give her some cover, but the Rev-7 closest to Grace was already splitting into two. Grace fired first at the metal endoskeleton, which was responsible for the movement of the poly mimetic alloy exoskeleton. Without it, the liquid metal terminator could not exist. Unfortunately, taking her attention off even one of them left her wide open for attack. Maddie poured out an entire magazine in the direction of the liquid metal monster until it turned its attention on her. Grace screamed and ran toward the endoskeleton, unloading her shells into its head. As the mortars landed in the distance, HKs appeared in the air, flying quickly to the west and north. The Revs on the ground beside the Rangers turned their attention that way too. They stalled. Grace had never seen machines stall in their purpose. She had never seen them waver from their programming. It was almost like whatever mission parameters that had been coded into these metal idiots was suddenly fucking up. Grace kept firing at another Rev, determined to take down as many as she could. She reloaded her rifle quickly and continued firing. The Revs turned their attention back to the Rangers as soon as they calculated the threat to the airport. 

Grace heard the stomping of metal feet against the asphalt runway. There were more machines on the way. She looked over to where Maddie had been crouched, but the kid was gone. Felipe had turned into a vicious animal, ripping machines apart with is bare hands. Most of the Legion forces in the immediate area saw him as a prime target. Grace continued to blow big holes in machines, sending one after another to the ground. An explosion close by sent a shockwave through Grace’s entire body, sending her flying backward onto her back. She felt the air leave her lungs as the sky above her caught fire. She flipped over quickly, burying her head in her hands. Another explosion close by sent Grace into the fetal position. She had no idea what was going on. She simply laid there waiting for Death to claim her. She heard the ion drive engine approach hard and fast. A British male voice boomed from behind her, “Get on board, now!” She turned to see the stranger, and realized it wasn’t their transport. Not that she cared. She looked for Maddie, but could not see the girl anywhere. Felipe was being torn to shreds by two Rev-9s. He was lost to the Rangers. Grace could not see anyone else on board the craft besides the British soldier. She stood, took three or four long strides toward the Scorpion and jumped on. She stood beside the soldier, hanging on to the edge. She yelled over the engines that they needed to find her crew. He nodded, signaled the pilot, and the aircraft circled back around. Grace took the gunner’s position, laying down cover fire for them, taking out as many machines as she could in their hasty retreat. 

As they put some distance between themselves and the runway, Grace stopped shooting. She had lost her personal rifle down there, along with her pack and her helmet. She was sweating profusely. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and drew back blood. She tried to find the source of the bleeding. Her fingertips stopped in the middle of her head against a hard object stuck in her scalp. She pulled the shrapnel away, looked it over, and tossed it over the side of the aircraft. She yelled to the soldier, trying to tell him where the rest of her Rangers were. He said they already knew and were picking them up already. He said they were heading back to base. Base? What base? Grace had no idea who this guy was or where he was from. She leaned in close to him, and yelled, asking where they were going. The soldier looked at her funny, asking if she wasn’t from Anaheim. She nodded. He nodded. That ended the conversation. Grace saw the other Scorpion lifting off the ground with several soldiers on board. They were too far away to count, but one was waving at her. She was pretty sure it was Ruiz. Grace sat down in one of the available seats, wondering what the fuck she had just done. That was a pretty stupid move, trying to get inside without reinforcements, in the light of day. She just wanted to see what Legion was doing. She’d do anything to shut them down immediately if it meant beating the machines. When Dani got wind of this, Grace would get more than an earful. Dani might permanently ground her. 

She had only wanted to get a closer look. She miscalculated and did not take in the ground patrols Legion had in the area. Of course, as soon as they got anywhere close, Legion closed in on them. The machines probably had security cameras set up all over the place. The tactical error had cost the Resistance two lives, at least: one augment, and one child. The responsibility for the mistake was on Grace’s shoulders. 

The British soldier had ordered the pilot to swing around a couple more times to search for the missing girl, but Maddie was nowhere. As they flew over the tarmac one more time, Grace noted the lifeless body of Felipe. This was bad. Grace leaned over, putting pressure on her scalp to staunch the bleeding. She hung her head the entire way back to Anaheim. 

Dani was informed via radio what happened. She excused herself from Dane and Stacy to take the call in her office with Lloyd. An officer named Captain William Hadrell had forces in the area when he heard the mortars. His crew escaped and made it back to Long Beach. Hadrell went in alone to pick up the stranded Rangers from Grace’s group. He never said a word about her making a deadly mistake. He just said that they were taking heavy fire from Legion and required support. They were inbound with an estimated time of arrival of four minutes. Dani stood, excused Lloyd, and made her way to the loading dock. She needed to see who was still alive. 

The doors began to lift. Dust and debris blew in under the gate as the Scorpions touched down outside. Dani waited impatiently for the Rangers to step inside. She began the head count. 14 went out that morning, including Grace. Hadrell came in first. He was followed by Ruiz, Daniels, Belloche, a few others that Dani only recognized by their faces....11, she counted. Her heart stopped. Oh God, no. She moved closer to the door as it finally opened completely. She watched the two craft take off, and saw her soldier, alone, standing in a cloud of dust. She motioned for Grace to get inside. She could see from quite a few feet away that Grace was covered in blood, and did not look happy. They were missing two soldiers. The augment, Felipe, Dani realized, was gone. Grace would tell her everything. 

Grace staggered forward. Her head was swimming with all the errors she had made that day, the pain in her scalp was becoming a bit much. As she crossed the threshold, the doors began their descent. Grace let Dani take her by the arm and help her to the triage area where medics were standing by to help. Hadrell approached Dani. “Commander, my name is William Hadrell. We spoke over the radio." Dani nodded at him, and sat by Grace, cradling her arm in her hand as a medic took a look at the blonde’s bloody scalp. “I was in the area when I heard the artillery shells. Your Rangers were lucky we were close. Legion was about to take them out completely. They destroyed the augment, and Lieutenant Harper said a kid from her detail is missing. My team is out right now trying to find her. We’ll keep you posted. I’m going to resupply ammunition on my transport and head out again.” It wasn’t a request. This guy, Grace realized, was used to giving his own orders. Dani just nodded to him, thanked him, and let him be on his way. She turned her attention to her partner, who was clearly injured and covered in asphalt tar residue. “What happened?” Dani asked, her voice low and gentle. She was more concerned for Grace’s well-being. 

“I fucked up, Dani.” Grace began to tremble as shock set in. “It’s my fault. I fucked up and they died. Felipe and Maddie.” 

“Shhh. Don’t worry about that now. Let’s get you patched up. Grace stood, with Dani’s help, and immediately collapsed onto her knees. The pain in her right shoulder was unbearable all of a sudden. Dani had not noticed she was bleeding since the dark red blood mixed well with the Resistance black uniform. Dani knelt in front of her, peeling open the hole in Grace’s armor. She had a huge hole all the way through her shoulder. A Rev had speared her at some point, and Grace hadn’t even realized it. She was so focused on Felipe and Maddie and her own failure as a leader, that Grace was unaware that she had nearly been killed herself. “Get her to the infirmary, Owens.” Dani ordered the medic to take Grace. 

“Come on, Lieutenant, we’ll get you fixed up.” Owens was in her early forties, dark skin, with darker and caring eyes. She put one arm around Grace and helped her to stand up. Dani told Grace she’d be in to see her shortly. Grace looked up through hazy vision, noting that she thought she saw Dane and Stacy standing in the distance. It couldn’t be them. They were at Highgate, Grace thought. She hung her head and let Owens lead the way. 

Dani walked over to Ruiz, who seemed no worse for the wear. “Ruiz, report.” Dani ordered. Ruiz straightened up as the medic finished looking him over. 

“We landed on top of a parking garage about ten minutes away from LAX, Commander. Harper did not like being out there one bit. We had no cover at all. Two HK’s zipped over us heading toward the runway of the airport. Harper had us all regroup on a lower level inside. We were on the wrong side. That’s why we didn’t see any Legion movement. She split us up. She took Felipe with her to get a closer look at what those machines are doing at the airport. The rest of the crew and I headed away from there to create a diversion with some explosions. We were drawing fire for them. Harper miscalculated and did not consider the local ground patrols. They were basically surrounded till Hadrell showed up.” Ruiz stopped talking, realizing he was probably digging Grace a hole. “This wasn’t her fault. Whatever is going on in that airport, Legion doesn’t want anyone getting close. Anyone could have made the same mistake, Commander.” 

Dani nodded and dismissed him. She turned to Dane and Stacy and said she would see them later on. She picked up her pace and went straight for the infirmary. Grace was seated on the edge of a hospital bed with her shirt off. Owens had pulled a curtain around to afford the blonde some privacy. A medic that Dani did not know yet was stitching Grace’s scalp shut. The hole in the blonde’s shoulder looked painful. It was as big as a fifty-cent piece all the way around. Owens said the spear didn’t hit any bone or arteries. It was all flesh. She produced a small cylinder full of a gray powdery substance. It reminded Dani of the cheap radiator patch graphite kits people bought at automotive stores. Owens motioned for Grace to lay down. “This is really going to sting, soldier.” She warned the blonde as she began pouring the grainy substance into the wound. Grace’s back arched, somewhat involuntarily and she cried out in pain. Dani stood beside her, holding Grace’s head. “There, all done. Tomorrow, that will be good as new, Harper.” Dani asked what the stuff was. Owens said it was basically that radiator patch shit that you could get before the war. Dani rolled her eyes. Highgate had created it and sent them a box full. She said it was effective at getting soldiers back on their feet in a fraction of the time conventional stitch jobs would allow. Owens told Grace to lay still for a while and she’d be back to check on her. 

Grace looked up at Dani, not sure where the tears in her eyes originated; whether from her tactical error or the pain. “Dani, I’m so sorry. This was all my fault.” Grace began. Dani shushed her with a finger over the blonde’s mouth. 

“I talked to Ruiz. This was my fault. I should not have sent you out there without heavy artillery and reinforcements, Grace. He said whatever is going on there, Legion is guarding it closely. I’m sorry about Felipe and the kid, what was her name?” 

“Maddie.” Grace asked. 

“Hadrell said he’s going back out as soon as he’s resupplied. Do not be sorry, Grace. This wasn’t your fault. But I think we just found out for sure what’s going on there.” Dani told Grace about what Lloyd had showed her on the infrared map. Grace seemed to understand that. Dani explained that when they go out again, it will be with greater numbers and more firepower. Grace felt herself getting sleepy. Owens had also injected her with a mild sedative and painkiller. Dani urged Grace to pass out. She sat next to her wounded partner, holding her hand while she slept.


	4. Metronome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What in this world  
> Keep us from tearing apart  
> No matter where I go I hear  
> The beating of your heart  
> I think about you  
> When the night is cold and dark  
> No one can move me  
> The way that you do  
> Nothing erases the feeling between me and you.” 
> 
> -Cyndi Lauper

Grace was spending the night in the infirmary, simply because she succumbed to the sedative. Owens told Dani she could take Grace home whenever she woke up in the morning. Dani thanked the medic and returned to her room for the night. It felt odd being there without Grace, but Dani could not bring herself to sleep in a metal folding chair. Grace would have understood that. Dani would go get her first thing in the morning. She removed her boots and set them by the door in classic Grace fashion. Dani really enjoyed the things that were uniquely Grace’s way. Leaving her boots by the door, arranging her food tray before eating, spitting on the ground when she was angry, grounding Dani in moments of panic. Dani loved the way Grace lifted their shirts to give her skin contact. She often wondered why Grace did that, but was always grateful for it no matter the reason. Dani stripped out of her uniform and hung it up next to the blonde’s rack of clothing. She found an old black service tank top belonging to Grace and slipped it on over her head. She decided on gray sleep pants and no socks tonight. There was a chill in the air. It was always several degrees cooler underground than at the surface. The natural climate control was a godsend during this spring’s heat. The world was warming back up. Dani actually hoped to see things begin to grow again. If the machines would stop destroying everything, that is. 

Dani slipped into bed, on her side, with a torn-up copy of “Annihilation” by Jeff Vandermeer. She remembered liking the movie when it came out. That seemed like a hundred years ago. She took her reading glasses from the bedside table and considered them for a moment. She’d had them made for her back at Highgate. Her eyesight was failing at close distances. She did not like the concept of getting older, but it was true nonetheless. She relaxed back onto her pillow, opened the book and tried to lose herself for the night. Almost immediately, she felt herself getting sleepy. Her eyelids grew heavy fast. It had been a long day. Whenever Grace came home wounded, it took a deep toll on Dani. She could handle losing anything in this world except for Grace. Dani shook off the probability of facing that soon. She closed the book, took off her glasses and tucked herself into bed. She missed her badly tonight. Dani rolled over onto Grace’s side of the bed, burying her face in the blonde’s pillow. That scent. The smell of Grace was so fine to her. It conjured memories of making love in that bed, of reading to each other, of laughing and crying, and just being together during the darkest period of human history. Dani felt fortunate for every moment they had together. She yawned loudly, pulled Grace’s pillow under her arm, as if she were holding her partner, and fell asleep. 

She did not hear the door open hours later. It had to be at least 3am when Grace snuck in. Owens had helped Grace out of her boots and uniform, and into something easier to manage. Grace wore a black service t-shirt, shorts and socks. It made it easier to come down the hall quietly without her hard-sole boots announcing her every step on the tiles. She laid her boots next to Dani’s, dropped her uniform in the arm chair, and turned back to close the door. She knew that it was four steps to the bed from the door in complete darkness. She’d used the hall light to put things away. She shut the door, and stood quietly, listening to Dani breathe across the room. The breaths were deep and slow. Grace had never been able to sneak in like this without waking Dani. The Commander was such a light sleeper. Grace was amazed she’d even got this far without waking her up. She took the four steps to the bed, slowly peeled back the blankets on her side, and deftly climbed in next to Dani. She settled carefully, pressing herself against Dani’s back. Still, Dani did not stir. In the absolute darkness of the room, Grace couldn’t even see her hand in front of her face. She leaned forward, putting her nose in Dani’s hair, and inhaled deeply. The smell of the Commander was just what Grace needed. She reached up and brushed the dark locks away from the flesh of Dani’s neck and gently placed her lips and tongue there instead. Dani’s taste was enough to get a physical rise out of Grace. Her body began to respond to the close proximity. Dani’s body heat under the wool blanket was nearly overwhelming. Grace kissed her neck again, higher, working up toward Dani’s ear. She rubbed her lips across the skin just behind that ear. “I love you, Daniella,” she whispered, slipping her hand down Dani’s side, tracing the outline of her ribcage with slow fingertips. Dani took a deep breath, unsure of what was going on. She felt the body pressed against her everywhere, the gentle fingertips touching her, warm breath on her neck. She reached her arm up behind her, gripping the back of Grace’s head, pulling her face forward to rest their cheeks together. Grace slipped an arm under Dani’s head, and reached down to claim a breast under the tank top. Dani let out a soft little moan, and Grace felt the nipple stiffen under her palm. She squeezed the full breast, rubbing her thumb slowly back and across the raised flesh. Her other hand found its way under the tank top, grazing the skin of Dani’s belly. The Commander turned her head back and upward, seeking Grace’s mouth in the dark. She still wasn’t quite sure if she was awake or dreaming. She usually liked being able to watch Grace when they made love. This was different, more exciting. She also liked it when Grace was silent, using touches and kisses to communicate with her. Her mouth was met by warm and wet lips. Dani breathed hard against the face of her lover, moaning again. Grace pushed her tongue forward, and Dani immediately opened her mouth, letting Grace in. Dani slid her hand up the length of Grace’s injured arm, running her fingertips across the spot where a gaping hole was only hours before. Grace grunted softly, signaling Dani not to touch it. The injury must still have been tender. The brunette retracted her fingers, and would not touch it again. The spot felt like nothing more than a swollen bump now. Whatever Owens had poured into the hole was like magic. She heard it was a compound developed to assist the augments in healing in the field so they could continue fighting. Dani felt Grace’s fingers travel from her belly to the waistband of her sleep pants. She moaned in response, telling Grace to continue. The fingers were light against her skin, but brought the fire up to the surface to get air. Dani breathed out, deeply, loving her partner’s gentle touch. Grace slipped her fingers inside of Dani’s panties, softly sweeping back and forth against her moist slit. The blonde pulled back slightly, continuing her trail of kisses along Dani’s jaw, back down her neck, nibbling her shoulder where the tank top wasn’t. Grace pulled her hand out of Dani’s panties, much to the brunette’s dismay. She slipped her fingers up, pulling at the Commander’s shirt. Dani got the idea and slipped it up over her head, tossing it away somewhere. Grace slid her fingers down Dani’s naked torso, hooking her thumb in the waistband of the sleep pants. “Off,” she whispered. Dani felt her clit throb at the Lieutenant’s command. She slipped the pants down around her knees, panties too, and kicked them off under the blankets. She could feel herself beginning to drip between her legs. The way Grace made love to her, the way she handled Dani’s body turned her on to the highest degree. She felt Grace sit up and push her down onto her back. Dani felt hands on her thighs, urging them apart. She felt the weight of her lover’s body push the mattress down between her legs. And then she felt that mouth on her. Grace’s aim was true as her lips claimed Dani’s most sensitive spot. A warm, wet tongue found its way into her soft folds and Dani arched her back, her body singing with pleasure. Grace ran her tongue down and Dani felt her lover press inside of her. She lost her breath and cried out. She felt Grace smile against her skin. Dani reached down and ran her hands through short blonde hair, taking hold with gentle fists. Grace took her time, laving Dani’s entrance with that warm tongue, sucking and kissing, circling her clit and back down again. Dani felt the intense pleasure rise up inside of her as her orgasm threatened to wreck her. Grace could sense it, feeling Dani rock against her jaw faster with each careful stroke she took. Grace took her by the hips, holding her close, not losing a single beat. Dani let go with a loud moan that was only ever for Grace. She wrapped a leg around Grace’s back, pulling her in deeper as she flooded the blonde’s mouth. Grace carried her all the way through the climax, only stopping when Dani’s body ceased to shake. She reached out and wiped her face on the sheets before climbing up beside Dani for a loving kiss. Dani loved the smell of herself on her partner’s lips. She loved the taste of Grace’s mouth mixed with her own essence. Grace drove her tongue deep inside Dani’s mouth, expressing her own need and desire. They weren’t done by far. 

Dani bit her lover’s bottom lip, holding it between her teeth, adding pressure until she heard Grace moan. The blonde stripped off her own clothes as Dani reached down to claim the hard cock between Grace’s legs. She stroked her slowly, making sure Grace was fully hard. She probably was already. Dani knew how much it turned Grace on to go down on her like that. Dani decided to reciprocate the blonde’s effort and sat up, positioning herself between well-muscled thighs. She could hear Grace’s breathing grow faster. Her cock throbbed in Dani’s hand. She would let Grace come, thunderously, down her throat if she wanted. “Wait.” Dani heard Grace whisper. She knew that Grace loved this but believed it was beneath Dani to do it. She didn’t want her partner debasing herself for her own selfish pleasure. But Dani knew how much Grace secretly loved having her mouth on her. She also knew, from past experience, that Grace never lasted long when she did this. Dani bent her head anyway, taking every last inch into her mouth that she could. Grace groaned and panted. Dani felt the blonde’s cock throb against her tongue, as she massaged every vein and bit of skin she could. She sucked the shaft hard, bobbing her head fast. “Dani, please.” Grace begged. Dani lifted herself away from Grace, licking her lips, loving the musky taste of the blonde warrior. The Commander moved to straddle Grace instead, positioning the rock-hard cock against her soft wet entrance. She heard Grace growl as she slowly sank down onto her, taking her full length inside. “Do you want to come, Grace?” She whispered, gently rocking back and forth against the blonde’s hips. 

“Yes.” Her answer was a gasp as Dani began moving faster. 

“Where?” Dani had never asked her that before, never given her the option. 

“I...uh....” Grace couldn’t even formulate a coherent sentence now. Dani understood. She slipped off of her partner’s lap and repositioned herself between Grace’s legs. Dani lowered her head and licked herself from the hard shaft in her hand. She was everywhere on Grace. She was claiming every part of Grace. She took the blonde’s cock back into her mouth, gently sucking it deeper toward the back of her throat. She felt fingers in her hair as she began to work Grace faster. She pulled off nearly all the way, holding only the head in between her lips. She ran her tongue lazily over the head, to the sensitive underside of the tip. Grace was about to blow. Her moans grew louder as Dani took her all the way to her throat again, this time relaxing to let Grace push deeper. The hand on the back of Dani’s head was struggling not to add pressure. Dani did it for her, relaxing all the way to take Grace’s whole cock. And she felt the member begin to throb as Grace fought not to come in her mouth. “Dani, oh my god.” Dani pulled back, releasing the shaft only from her throat. She wanted to taste Grace, to let the blonde feel her swallow everything she had to give. Grace pulled away from her suddenly, rolling out of bed completely. Dani wiped her mouth, realizing Grace had just ruined a perfectly good orgasm for herself. She thought she had known what Grace wanted, but maybe she was wrong. “Lay down on your back, Commander.” Grace heard the brunette shift in the bed. “Spread your legs for me.” Dani exhaled sharply at the order, opening herself wide so that Grace could find her easily in the dark. Grace came back to bed, laying down on top of Dani. She gently pushed herself deep inside of her partner and instantly started fucking her deep, almost hard. Grace laid her weight down, taking pressure off her injured shoulder. Dani began whispering in Spanish next to the blonde’s ear. “Dani, I love you so much.” It was all Grace could manage, as she took long strokes in and out, fucking Dani just hard enough to make her come again immediately. With that, Grace released. She felt the orgasm drop down on her like a safe. She sobbed as she came, feeling her seed flow into Dani’s womb. This was all Grace wanted. An opportunity, even if it wasn’t physically possible. Dani had shown Grace that anything in the apocalypse was possible. Dani felt tears roll from her eyes down into her ears. She knew exactly what Grace was doing. She wrapped her legs around the blonde’s waist, not letting go. She found Grace’s mouth with hers, feeling wet cheeks with her own. 

“Grace, I’m yours. Always. I love you completely.” Dani held her partner while she shook and cried, still buried deep within her. The connection was so intense, Dani felt her heart pounding. She had never felt this close to Grace, not ever. 

They held onto each other as if the slightest movement would tear them asunder. Dani laid beneath Grace, gently stroking her back. She stared up into the darkness, wondering where all of that came from. Grace had been known to be intense during sex before, but not this way. Dani was glad to have it. She sometimes felt like they slipped away from each other when Grace was gone or Dani worked too many hours in her office. Coming back together like this, fully, was something Dani had enjoyed immensely. She felt Grace start to relax more as her cock softened. The blonde pulled her hips back slowly, pulling out as carefully as she could. She rolled away, laying on her back. Dani turned over and laid down in her usual spot, resting against her lover. Grace’s heart was still pounding in her chest, and Dani used it like a metronome, letting it hypnotize her back to sleep. The last thing she heard were Grace’s loving whispers, telling her how much she meant to her.

The knock on the door a bit later shocked Dani into a sudden onset of anxiety. Lloyd.


	5. Firebombs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “There's a good life  
> Right across the green fields  
> And each generation  
> Stares at it from afar  
> But we keep no check  
> On our appetites  
> So the green fields turn to brown  
> Like paper in fire.” 
> 
> -John Mellencamp

She wasn’t completely awake but was absolutely annoyed by the intrusion. Grace stood up immediately and walked to their bedroom door, completely naked. “Grace!” Dani hissed, turning on the bedside lamp. The soldier threw the door open, exposing herself to the poor soul standing in the hallway. Lloyd looked her over quickly, "oh," he said before averting his eyes to somewhere else down the hall. Through sleepy eyes, Grace watched his face turn bright red. 

“I’m sorry, ma’am, Lieutenant. It’s um. You, uh told me... uh...” Lloyd had a hard time thinking. 

“Christ, Lloyd, spit it out.” Grace looked down at herself and realized suddenly she was naked, standing there with the door all the way open. She turned back and Dani was on her way, wrapped in the sheet, pushing Grace out of the way. 

“Lloyd, what is it?” She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him inside, shutting the door. She shot Grace a disgusted look. The blonde took her leave of the two and went in search of her shorts. Lloyd managed not to look at either of them the entire time. 

“A guy on my team captured the signal in L.A. again, Commander. It’s been on screen for some time now, at least an hour. You told me to come find you no matter what time it was.” Lloyd was embarrassed and wanted to run in any direction. Grace made her way back to them, sufficiently covered by the old tank top and her shorts. 

“What signal? The one at the airport?” Grace asked, yawning deeply. 

“Yes, ma’am. We saw it yesterday when your team was out there. It was only online for about 20 minutes.” 

“What is it?” Grace asked. 

“Grace, we think it’s a time displacement chamber, but we can’t be certain without seeing it. We need to get eyes on it.” 

“Yeah.” Grace whispered, remembering the clusterfuck from the previous afternoon. “What time is it?” 

“Just after 0500, Lieutenant.” Lloyd checked his wristwatch. It was an old wind-up type, with a cracked face. 

“Get a hold of Captain Hadrell in Long Beach. Let him know. Tell him we need his team here asap, Lloyd. We need to get inside there.” Dani ordered. Lloyd snapped to attention, addressed both women with full eye contact, felt his face flush again, and left as quickly as he could. 

When the door closed behind him, Grace sat down in the soft arm chair. 

“Jesus, Grace. Answer the door buck naked, why don’t you?” Dani turned to scornfully regard her partner. 

Grace managed a sleepy laugh, followed by another yawn. “Sorry, I forgot where I was.” It could have been an honest mistake. Maybe in Carlsbad, before Dani was ever around, Grace was comfortable with full nudity among the Rangers. Honestly, it didn’t really matter to Dani, but with the number of female soldiers on base, including one 17-year-old Stacy Lewis, Dani wished Grace would exercise a little caution. 

“Grace, I need coffee. I need your counsel. Will you please get dressed and come with me?” Dani moved toward the blonde, cupping her chin in her scarred hand. Grace raised her eyes to look at Dani, seeing the Commander was in need of her. The look on Dani’s face wasn’t patronizing or punishing for the day before, as Grace had worried. There was deep concern in Dani’s eyes, fear even. Grace nodded, leaned forward, and stole a soft kiss before standing up to face the day. 

They dressed quickly and quietly. Dani went into the bathroom to brush and braid her hair. Grace appeared behind her to take over the process. She was really good at braiding Dani’s hair into three tightly weaved knots down her scalp. Dani had taught her to do it years ago, and Grace loved being able to do it for her. “I should get it all cut off like yours, Grace.” Dani checked her partner in the reflection of the mirror. 

Grace smirked. “You’d look okay with short hair, I think. I’d miss this, though.” Dani straightened up, letting Grace finish without more distraction. 

They made their way around the circular edge of the residence area, finding the hallway leading into the common area where the command station was. There were a few different tech soldiers standing around. Lloyd motioned them over. “I’ll get us some coffee.” Grace offered, hooking off to the left toward the mess hall. Dani joined Lloyd, looking at the screen projection on the wall in front of them. It looked the same as the previous day. There was the faint gray outline of the ruins of LAX, and several stories below was the pulsating white, orange, and red blob. Dani’s heart sank as deep as the blob. This was like a bad tooth. It wasn’t just going to go away. 

“Have you notified Hadrell?” Dani asked without taking her eyes off the screen. 

“Yes, Commander. His team is prepping for departure right now. They’ll be here within the hour.” 

“Good.” Dani whispered to herself, “what are you doing, Legion?” She stood motionless, just watching the screen. 

A friendly presence made itself known behind her. A long arm snaked over her shoulder, holding a plastic mug with a spoon in it. Dani reached up, took the coffee, and stirred it absentmindedly. Grace never brought her a spoon. There was never a need. Sugar and cream were in such short supply, it was only ever used for special occasions. Dani looked down into the cup and saw the swirling crème colored liquid steaming. She lifted it to her lips and sipped it carefully. Cream and sugar. Shit. Way to go, Grace, she thought. A gentle, familiar hand rested on her lower back as she listened to Grace make a soft slurping sound into her own mug. 

“We think with enough of a racket, we can lure the machines to the surface. But it has to be a big distraction, Commander. Huge.” 

“How huge?” Grace asked. Her voice sounded like gravel under the wheels of a bus, Dani thought. 

“We don’t exactly know, Lieutenant. How important is this thing to the machines? We don’t even know what they’re doing down there.” Lloyd stated, seeming at a loss. 

“We know. We have to get down there.” Dani added, sipping her coffee again. They needed a bomb. One with the capability to take out several stories at once. One that would lead Legion away. Dani leaned back into Grace, who planted her foot to keep them from rocking back. “Grace, do you think Dane can fix something up for this? Some homespun wisdom from Rifle, Colorado?” 

Grace laughed quietly. It was more just a movement, a jerk emanating from the center of her chest. She considered it. “It wouldn’t surprise me. I’ll go call him, Commander.” 

“Dane is here, Grace. He’s in the south corridor, number 86.” Dani informed her. “Stacy is next door if you want to get her too. She wanted to see you yesterday.” 

Grace nodded, handed Dani her empty cup, and walked quickly toward the hallway to the rear of the room. “Grace!” Dani called out. The blonde warrior spun on her heel to receive orders from the Commander. Dani didn’t say anything. She just looked. Grace knew that look. She winked at her partner and disappeared into the hallway. 

Grace walked quickly, taking long strides. She was suddenly overcome by the urgency of the moment, and picked up her pace into a run. Her mind was racing. Dane and Stacy were here. Why? The machines were getting the TDC online quickly. They were running out of time. Grace kept her pace, looking down at the floor as her feet pounded the tiles. The brick wall she ran into sent her staggering back. A quick, strong hand reflexively reached out, catching her in the middle of her chest by the fatigues, preventing her from falling. The brick wall in question was a young man, covered in red facial hair. Grace returned to her senses, knowing she should recognize him. She knew almost everyone on base by now. “Dane?” She sounded a little more than shocked. The last time she saw him was four years ago, and he was still just a baby-faced teenager then. His voice was deep and smooth like honey. 

“Harper.” He pulled her forward against him and hugged her tight. “God, it’s good to see you.” He held her a little longer than he probably should have. Grace threw her arms around him. In the past, Dane always hugged Grace when he saw her. She wasn’t a soldier to him. She was a friend. 

“Holy shit, Dane! Look at you!” Grace said, pulling back, holding his massive shoulders. She suddenly noticed his augmentation scars. “No.” Her heart sank. She felt tears well up in her eyes. Dane had given himself a death sentence. 

“It’s ok, Grace. I don’t fight anymore. I wanted to, but I ended up with osteosarcoma two years ago. This was actually done to save my life. They replaced my arms, legs, and spine, and the thorium reactor actually provides enough radiation to keep the cancer away. No one else knows.” Dane’s voice was barely a whisper. Grace let her fingers trail over his shoulders, up the scars on the sides of his neck. She reached up and grabbed handfuls of his beard, and tried really hard not to cry. The kid had cancer. He never told her. “It’s ok, really. I can actually live indefinitely like this as long as I don’t exert myself. Anne has some pretty cool medications that keep me nice and even.” Grace trembled, overwhelmed by the news. It was too much. “Without it, I’d be dead already, Grace.” She looked up into his eyes, seeing the scars under his eyes. “That came with the package.” She didn’t know what to say. 

“Does Dani know?” She couldn’t see how Dani wouldn’t know this. Dane shook his head. 

“And please don’t tell her. I don’t want her to think less of me.” 

“Less than she already does?” The voice behind them startled Grace. She looked over the kid’s shoulder to see a beautiful girl approaching quietly. 

“Stacy.” Grace whispered. Dane stepped aside and let his sister come forward. Stacy ignored him altogether and embraced Grace tightly. It was very strange for Grace. She wasn’t used to hugging other women who weren’t Dani. This girl’s body was strange, alien to Grace, and yet all too familiar, as women go. She felt her own body respond to taught breasts being pressed against hers. Grace pulled back quickly before anything else responded. “Wow. You grew up.” 

Stacy shot her a guilty, knowing look, bordering on something flirtatious and seductive. Grace cleared her throat and told them both they were needed in the common area. “We’ve got a big problem.” Grace was going to have to tell Dani about this whole situation later when they were alone. She led them down the corridor and into the hallway. 

The command station was completely lit up when Grace arrived back with Stacy and Dane. More people than before had shown up, and there seemed to be a general state of heightened confusion. Grace quickly moved to stand by Dani. “What’s going on?” She asked, trying to be heard above the crowd. 

“We don’t know. It went offline again, but...” Dani began. “Lloyd, can you replay that feed?” 

Lloyd Lloyd typed something into his keyboard and the screen on the wall went blank for a second. It rebooted with the image of the airport, with the pulsating blob at the bottom of the screen. “Just watch.” Dani whispered. She reached down and took Grace’s hand in hers. The brilliantly colored blob pulsated and grew in size. Dani squeezed Grace’s hand hard. Grace looked at her for a half a moment, understanding her partner was scared. She returned her gaze to the growing patch of color which became white in the center. Each pulse turned the shape whiter and whiter, until it was virtually invisible, save an orange ring around the edge. Suddenly, the shape collapsed and disappeared. 

Grace stood, stunned. “What just happened? Where did it go?” 

“We don’t know. It’s offline now.” Lloyd explained, clearly not having a clue what was going on at all, or what this thing was. 

“Do you think they just sent a Rev back?” Grace looked at Dani, asking her only. 

“If they did, would we still be here?” Dani whispered, more to herself than Grace. She could not fathom the complex intricacies of time travel. Every time she wrapped her head around it, it just got too big for her. 

From the south end of the room, a group of combat soldiers walked toward them, being led by Captain William Hadrell. “Commander, we detected an electrical disturbance in Los Angeles, at the airport.” He announced as he strode over to where Dani stood. Grace acknowledged him silently, in her usual Ranger way. 

“Yes, Captian, we noticed that. Do you have any idea what’s going on?” Dani pleaded with the man, hoping beyond hope that he had an answer for her finally. 

“Our intel suggests that the machines are definitely building the TDC. Resistance forces at Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado sent us this. He handed Dani a thick file without even looking at her. His eyes were glued to the replay on the large screen. Dani took the file, letting her eyes linger on Hadrell. She wondered if before the war, he would have been one of those guys whose attention couldn’t be had if the tv was ever on. Dani opened the file, with an extremely curious Grace watching over her shoulder. The Time Displacement Chamber file had a set of schematics and diagrams, pages and pages of experimentation with machines, equipment, human beings. 

“How did you get this?” Dani asked, looking up at Hadrell. He finally seemed to notice she was still there. 

“We built one. Before the war. Humans were very very close to completing this when Judgement Day occurred.” He explained that the military had not only built Legion, but was devising a way to travel through time. Hadrell told her it was a product of technology from “some friends not from this area.” Was Dani looking at alien tech? What the fuck was going on? 

“Humans built this?” She shook the file at him. “This? This fucking time machine?? And let me guess, we kept all the information stored in a top-secret database that only one or two people had access to. Until Legion took over.” Sarah Connor’s voice reverberated inside Dani’s head: “those assholes NEVER learn!” 

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it, Commander. The only problem was we could not make it work. So far, neither can the machines. There’s some sort of problem they keep having. It’s the same problem we had 25 years ago. Whatever we send through the device never reaches the event horizon. It’s either traveling too fast, not fast enough, or the dimension it ends up in is, well, just not where we sent it. It’s all in the file. The important thing is that Legion just tried it, we think, and blew their whole bloody grid. They’ll be fixing it for a month.” 

Dani realized Legion had just bought them a crucial amount of time to launch an attack on LAX. “Captain, why did Cheyenne Mountain keep this secret?” 

“Commander, with all due respect, I’m just a pair of boots.” He swung his gaze to meet Grace’s, who nodded in solidarity. “I just read the file on the way here. I know about as much as you do. My only concern is how we are going to take that piece of shite down before the machines go back and change the entire course of this war.” Hadrell was furious, but containing it. He just wanted to put the damage on Legion. 

Dani looked around the room. All eyes were on her, waiting for her order. She couldn’t think on the spot like this. “Sergeant Lewis?” 

Dane stepped forward. Dani looked up at the towering red head. “We need to get inside the airport, down to the TDC level. I’m imagining that won’t be easy. I want you, take whoever you need from my command, to create something really nasty. It doesn’t have to be precise. In fact, the dirtier the better. I want that entire chamber turned into a pile of dust.” 

“You got it, Commander. I’ll start working on it right away. I might need to get back to Highgate to gather resources.” He knew Anaheim was a combat unit. Highgate was the science division. 

“You have my full authority to make it happen, Sergeant.” Dani dismissed him to go to work on his plans. Thank the gods for the Unabomber’s descendant, she thought. 

Grace was a little pissed off about this. Dani had never given her full authority to act in any way. She swallowed her jealousy, for the good of all humanity. 

“Hadrell, I want intel. Surveillance, numbers, everything you can give me. I want to know how many machines are there, what kinds, when they take bathroom breaks. I don’t care how minimal it looks, I want it all. Is that understood?” Dani was raging inside. This might be their only chance to change the future. 

“Yes, Commander. My team and I are already out the door.” Hadrell turned to his soldiers, and they left, heading the way they came in. “You heard the Commander. We load up and go, NOW! MOVE!” Hadrell’s voice boomed and echoed throughout the room, bouncing off the walls. He was an impressive commander himself, Grace noted. 

“Ok, people. Let’s work this. I want every bit of information. I want to know how best to take these fuckers down.” Dani acknowledged the room, not sure how to move forward. “Lloyd, find a way to keep their power supply offline. What were they using to begin with?” 

“It looks like they’re drawing energy from the Scattergood hydroelectric plant. About five miles from the airport.” Lloyd pulled out the California atlas from a drawer in his desk. He opened it up to the Los Angeles metropolitan area. He took out a felt marker and drew an “X” over the airport. He drew another “X” over the Anaheim base. Then, he followed a small road south and drew a third “X” over the Scattergood plant. “Ok, we’re here. The airport is here. The plant is here.” It was all very close in a compact area. 

“I want that fucking place blown off the map, Lloyd. Today.” Dani was done fucking around with the machines. She was all too familiar with fights at dams. This was just another kill box to her. Anything to set Legion back, to give them more time. Lloyd stood motionless, staring at her. “That’s an order, Lloyd.” Dani turned to Grace. “Go with Dane. Make this happen.” 

“Yes, Commander.” Grace turned and grabbed the red-head's arm, pulling him in the direction of the south tunnel. As they walked, she whispered to him. Do you have any explosives of that size with you?” 

Dane laughed, “no, but I can come up with something real fast. All I need is a Molotov cocktail. A really big one. Come on, Grace. We’re going to have fun today.” Dane laughed out loud, deep in his barrel chest. Grace shook her head, wondering what Dani was getting her into. Dane was scary happy.


	6. Redemption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "When I begin to crumble  
> And the walls begin to fall  
> Someone please keep me humble  
> Hold my soul up through it all
> 
> Let fulfillment fuel the fire  
> Hide the emptiness inside  
> We all cover up desire  
> Learn to face it with our pride."
> 
> -Sarah Jarosz

Dane Lewis went back to his room to get his gear from the duffel bag he brought with him. He had Resistance issue chest armor, an Equalizer and a baseball cap. The cap bore a faded and tattered NY Yankees logo on it. The brim of the hat was ratty. The hat had seen better days, but it fit him well. He believed it was his lucky charm. Also, stashed at the bottom of his bag, beyond extra socks and underwear, t-shirts, and a fresh uniform, was a smaller bag with little bricks inside. He tucked the bag under his arm and made his way to the armory, where Grace was getting ready. 

Her armor had been put back in her locker by someone during the night. That was good, she thought. She hated to have to be refitted for anything right now. New armor never fit right till about the third time wearing it all day and night. Grace pulled off her fatigue shirt and swapped it out for her sleeveless one. It was covered in dried blood on one side from the day before, but it didn’t matter. The armor would hide it, even with the gaping hole in the shoulder area of the chest plate. Her wound had healed up completely, just like Owens said it would. It was a little sore to touch though, but Grace had full range of motion again. Grace should ask to pack some with her next time she went out. She grabbed her helmet and slammed the locker shut. Dani was standing just on the other side of it, grinning from ear to ear. 

“Check this out, Harper. I forgot I had this stuff.” He set the small bag down on the locker room bench, opened it and backed up, held his arms out like a magician who just pulled a rabbit out of his hat. She peered into the bag to see 8 or 10 small, black bricks that looked like modeling clay. The bricks were no bigger than a deck of cards. Grace had no idea what she was looking at. 

“That’s cool, Dane. What is it?” 

He moved in and picked the bag up, smelling the contents as if they were fried chicken. “Are you kidding me? You’ve never seen C4?” 

“Should I have?” 

“You’ve been a Resistance soldier for how long? You’ve never run across this or heard of it before? This stuff is the gold standard of explosives. Stable, malleable, long shelf life. Perfect for our needs today. I forgot I had it.” 

Grace had never seen it before. She suddenly felt brand new to the Resistance. 

“Don’t worry, Grace. It’s not all that common anymore. I’m an explosives guy. This is what I do. See, what you do is, you take this part,” Dane held up a single brick of C4, “and you stick it to whatever you want blown up. Then you take this,” he held up a cable with a shiny node on the end of it, “and you stick it inside of this brick.” He mimicked arming the device. Dane flipped the wound-up cables around, showing the detonator switch to Grace. “Then, you press this button. There’s a two minute time delay so we can hit it and run. How’s that?” 

Dane looked pretty proud of himself. “Not bad, kid. But we have to get down into the plant to do this.” 

“Well, it’s not perfect, Harper.” He packed up his gear as Ruiz met them. Grace had sent word to him that she wanted him to come along and help them. They’d summoned a pilot to take them out to the hydroelectric plant. Ruiz could provide a distraction if the place was crawling with machines. It seemed like Legion would concentrate its forces at the airport, especially if no one ever messed with the power source. Dane believed it would be the perfect crime. 

Grace was getting pretty excited by the opportunity to redeem herself after the previous day. It wouldn’t bring Maddie or Felipe back, but it just might make her feel like less of a failure. In the stock room behind the lockers, the three dug through boxes of MRE’s to find something to eat for the day. Grace filled her canteen with fresh water, drinking one down before they even left, and refilling it. She had learned that the best canteen was her belly. The trio headed for the loading dock to wait for their transport. Grace felt her heartbeat quicken. She wanted to say goodbye to Dani. It was a ritual. It was important. She didn’t feel right not going without seeing her. 

The loading bay was practically empty, save a couple of radio operators. Grace set her new pack down on the ground by the bay doors. She heard one operator say that the ETA for the transport was 5 minutes. She turned to at least look for Dani and ran right into her. Commander Ramos had made the effort to find her. It made Grace’s heart leap up in her throat, knowing that this ritual was just as important to Dani. “Hi,” Grace whispered. Dani just walked right into Grace’s arms, laying her head on the chest plate of Grace’s uniform. 

“I’m sorry we can’t have some privacy.” Dani looked up, catching Grace’s deep blue stare. The blonde shook her head, silently saying it was fine. She wrapped her long arms around the Commander, holding her close, even if they only had the next five minutes to be together. Dani reached up and pulled Grace down by the back of the neck. She planted a soft kiss on the blonde warrior’s lips, sucking Grace’s bottom lip gently, without making it obvious. Dani felt the sharp exhale of breath on her skin. She pulled away and pressed her cheek against Grace’s. She began whispering Spanish. Grace had no idea what she was saying, but the hushed and urgent tone told her everything. Dani pressed her hips against Grace. It was subtle and unnoticeable to anyone who might be watching, but no one was. They were used to seeing soldiers say goodbye to each other. Dani knew the effect that Spanish had on Grace. She could recite a recipe for soup in Spanish, and Grace’s body would react. Dani finished the recital of gentle words with a simple, “te amo, amante. Come home.” This wasn’t like getting edged in Dani’s office the day before. This was a proclamation of belonging. She stared down into the gorgeous amber eyes of her partner, feeling strong now. This wasn’t a sex thing for Grace. It was just a strength thing. Dani gave her strength in a physical way sometimes, but this was pure emotion today. Grace could go out knowing she was loved and needed at home when her work was done. This was Dani’s way of telling her to be careful out there, without actually saying it. 

The bay doors began to roll up. The sound of grinding gears and electric motors broke Grace’s concentration on Dani. She reached up, caressed Dani’s cheek with one hand. “I love you. I’ll see you in a few hours.” Grace let her go and joined her team. Grace did not look back. She thought it was bad luck. Dani stood and watched them board the transport and lift off, heading southwest. 

The Scorpion took the three Rangers quickly toward the Scattergood plant in what was left of Venice, CA. Grace watched the terrain below them rise and fall as the aircraft cruised low. Staying off Legion’s radar was necessary to travel any distances, especially when the machines were known to be so close. She could swear there were green things growing down there, in the ruins. She saw flashes and patches of grass and trees coming up between broken segments of asphalt and concrete. It was something that gave her hope. She dangled her boots over the edge of the craft, wondering what a roller coaster felt like, as the craft rose and fell along the dips in the terrain. She felt her stomach rise and fall with each dip. She remembered things from television about Disneyland. That was something she never got to do. She shook off the memory, activated her headset and asked for an ETA. 

“Two minutes, Harper.” Dane’s voice came through the earpiece loud and clear. “We’re going to touch down about a mile short of the plant, look for threats.” 

Grace nodded and pulled the bolt back on her rifle. She was ready to get into it with Legion again. However, she knew this was more of a stealth mission. Dane wanted to get them in and out before Legion even knew what had happened. The plan was to get in close enough to take down the main building housing the generators. Those turbines were crucial to Legion’s power. Dane thought perhaps rigging the smoke stacks to collapse on the building would cause enough damage and chaos. It was the best plan they had. 

The Scorpion landed on the beach a mile from the plant. There was no cover, yet again, on this mission. Grace hated being so exposed. She’d been trained to use the surrounding trees for protection. She almost did not know how to act out in the open. Her anxiety was high. Dane signaled for the pilot to take off. Grace, Ruiz, and Dane took off running to get off the sand. There were a number of nearby ruins they could shelter in. It reminded Grace distinctly of where she was when Dani found her. These buildings were just skeletons of their former selves, concrete, rebar, and wire mesh. The three trekked the mile, using the faded orange and white colored smokestacks of the plant for a guide. 

Once they reached the road separating them from the plant, Grace pulled out her field glasses to check the area. It was eerily quiet. She couldn’t see any sign of Legion activity, save the rolling white smoke coming from the chimneys. Ruiz was right beside her, asking what she could see. “Nothing. No sign of machines.” 

“Creepy,” Ruiz replied as Grace handed him the binoculars. He scanned the plant, but could not detect any machines either. “Lewis, what do you think?” He looked over and handed the red head the binoculars. Dane waved them off. He could see fine without them. His HUD allowed him to see things at a far greater distance than Grace’s field glasses would. Ruiz suddenly felt inadequate. He handed the glasses back to Grace, who continued looking through them. 

“There’s no one here. If there is, they’re inside. We need to move now.” Dane whispered. He had wired up the C4 bricks on their way over. He handed it out to each soldier, complete with blasting caps. “Stick these at the base of the smoke stacks. Harper, take the north side. Ruiz, you’re on the south. I’ll wire up the main building. Wait for my signal.” Dane held up a flare gun for them to see. It was also the signal for the pilot to come back and get them. “Once you trip that switch, you have two minutes to get the fuck out. Got it?” 

Grace cradled her package of explosives like it was a little baby. She was shaking, not sure if it was because of the dangerous items in her hands, or because Legion could walk up on them at any time. Dane detected her rapidly rising heartbeat and body temperature, and reached a big hand out to calm her. His hand on her shoulder was only somewhat settling. She was starting to sweat. She didn’t know why. She’d done shit like this a hundred thousand times, she told herself. Her thoughts returned to Dani, holding her, whispering Spanish in her ear. There was no time to reminisce. Dane was on his feet and moving out of the ruined building, running across the road. 

Dane Lewis did not run fast. His particular augmentation wasn’t done so he could be a super soldier. It had been done to keep him alive. Grace supposed, with as much as she knew about the process, that Dane could hold his own against a Rev in an emergency. He was trying not to over exert himself right now. She kept pace with him, shadowing him across the road, then she split off north toward the first smoke stack. 

Wiring it up wasn’t difficult. She basically just had to duct tape the C4 brick to the base of the tower, taking care not to pull the wire away from the clay. Dane had told her this stuff was fairly stable. Basically, it could only be detonated by the shockwave produced by the switch. She could stomp on it, shoot it, or set it on fire, and it wouldn’t blow up. Maybe that’s what was making her so nervous. It just didn’t seem like a little wad of modeling clay was going to produce enough of an explosion to get the job done. She pulled a roll of silver duct tape from the cargo pocket of her pants and began unrolling strips, tearing them apart with her teeth. She managed to plant four bricks along the edges of the column, taking care to cover the whole area. This would ensure that the entire structure would come down, if Dane was correct about the explosive’s capabilities. Of course, he was correct. This is what the kid did all his life. She threaded the roll of wires along as she went, careful not to tangle them up. She had four blasting caps to hit the second she saw that flare. The sound of metal feet pounding on the concrete rocked her back into the moment. She spun on her feet, crouched low, and raised her rifle in the direction of the sound. A Rev-2, the older humanoid model was patrolling the area. It held some sort of plasma rifle. It was so close that Grace could see its red, glowing eyes. She was a sitting duck if it turned to look in her direction. She would have no choice but to fire on it. Suddenly she remembered the ghosts in the field outside of Carlsbad. She recalled how she had cut them off from Legion’s network with nothing but her tactical knife. One carefully placed jab in the back of the neck would sever the cable connecting it to the hive. She set her rifle down beside her silently, pulled the knife from her boot, and waited for it to get close enough. Two more steps, and Grace lunged at it from behind. She landed squarely on the machine’s back, hearing the whine and scream coming from it as it detected her as a threat. She held it around the throat, raising her arm up over her head. She needed one perfect shot, or she was dead. The machine twisted, screaming, trying to right itself to get her off. She plunged the knife deep inside the back of its neck and twisted hard. She heard and felt the blade snap as she pushed away and fell backward onto the concrete. She began to push herself backward, fast, trying to get to her rifle. The machine turned and fired aimlessly into the air around her. The pulse of its rifle was not loud, but the shots hitting the surrounding structure made enough noise to alert other machines. The Rev began to teeter and fell over onto its front, unable to stand back up. Not only had Grace taken out its network connection, she had also felled it by severing the spinal column. She stood up, rifle at the ready, looking for Dane or Ruiz. The sound of the flare was loud. She put her hand up to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun, watching for the spark and blaze of the flare. It was red, easily detectable. She rounded the smoke stack, gathering the length of wires into her shaking hands. She hit all four switches and took off in the direction of the road. She did not wait for anyone else. She did not wait for machines to catch up. She just ran. On her way across the broken highway, she could hear boots behind her. Dane and Ruiz were hot on her heels. They did not stop and recover in the abandoned building. They all just ran for the beach. 

The Scorpion pilot was bringing the craft down toward them, in the same spot they landed. Ruiz kept watch on the road as they loaded up. The sound of plasma rifles could be heard over the ion drive engines. Grace turned and opened fire on a line of Rev-2s marching toward them. At least these would not split into more. The Equalizer rifles would penetrate the Legion hardware and neutralize every target, if they had time to take them down. She opened fire, taking advantage of the fully automatic feature of the weapon. A hand reached out, grabbed her by the back of her chest armor and hauled her up onto the platform of the aircraft. “GO!” Dane’s voice boomed to the pilot over the commotion. Quickly, the Scorpion took flight, as Grace fired several more shots below them. From their vantage point, in the air, heading back to the northeast, Grace could hear the distant explosions. She watched as the two towers began to collapse, or rather implode. The smokestack she had wired fell down into itself. The other one, Ruiz’s handiwork, fell over on top of the building that Dane had wired up. The main building itself exploded up into the air, becoming nothing more than a pile of rubble. Grace grabbed on to the railing between the seats, and slapped Ruiz right on the back. The three of them cheered and congratulated each other. Grace finally sat down, relaxing a little bit for the moments before their return to Anaheim.


	7. To the Success of a Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Through this world I've stumbled  
> So many times betrayed  
> Trying to find an honest word to find  
> The truth enslaved 
> 
> Oh you speak to me in riddles  
> And you speak to me in rhymes  
> My body aches to breathe your breath  
> Your words keep me alive 
> 
> And I would be the one  
> To hold you down  
> Kiss you so hard  
> I'll take your breath away  
> And after, I'd wipe away the tears  
> Just close your eyes dear.” 
> 
> -Sarah Mclachlan

Dani stood beside Lloyd in the command center, watching the screen for activity. The Scorpion pilot radioed in, announcing the success of the mission. Three soldiers, and the pilot, were headed back home. Dani looked down at Lloyd’s screen, mapping out the power plant connection to the airport, watching the green lights blink out and turn red. The Rangers had taken out Legion’s primary power supply. She was elated. The mission outcome was essential to buying the Resistance more time to take control of the time displacement chamber before the machines could activate it. Dani’s plan was to destroy it before ANYONE could use it. Today got her one step closer to that goal. As soon as the computer in front of Lloyd showed that the electricity had been shut down, Dani excitedly pumped her fist in the air. “Yes! Fuck you, Legion!!” She yelled. Lloyd breathed a deep sigh of relief. There were other cheers and applause in the command center. Dani felt Stacy close behind her, laughing to herself. Commander Ramos turned to face the girl. “We’ve got a celebration to get underway, kid.” Dani turned back to Lloyd and ordered him to keep her informed if anything else happened. He nodded and turned back to his work. 

Dani and Stacy went into the mess hall kitchen, where Mike was waiting for them. He saw Dani coming and turned away from her quickly. When he turned back around, Dani saw he had put the oven mitt back on his machine hand. By now, she’d seen all the augmentations and enhancements possible. Mike’s hand was no longer a shock. However, he seemed to be a gentleman, so she just smiled and thanked him. Dane and Stacy Lewis had brought in another gift from Highgate. In the corner of the kitchen were several gray coolers, each marked with the words “perishable”. Stacy led Dani to the stack of coolers, and popped the top off one of them. Inside, wrapped in heavy plastic, cooled by chunks of dry ice, were slabs of dark red meat. “Steaks?” Dani almost started crying. She hadn’t seen steaks like that in decades. 

“Dane and Huck went hunting. They took down several buffalo in the park three days ago. These are our gifts to you.” The cooler in front of Dani was packed absolutely full of meat. There was enough for at least 25 people in that single box. She reached down to carefully touch the buffalo meat through the packaging, relishing at the softness of the flesh. It smelled bloody and fresh. Dani backed up, counting the coolers. She had seen them being unloaded into the kitchen, but had no idea what they were. She figured they were full of rations and dry goods. Fucking steaks, she thought. She was amazed. There were 20 coolers stacked against the wall. Dane and Stacy had packed enough to share with the entire base. The emotion of the gesture swept over Dani, and she couldn’t help herself. She turned and hugged the girl tightly. “This... is... awesome, Stacy. Thank you.” Real meat. Dani had never had buffalo, but would eat a leather shoe sole if it was seasoned well enough. “Mike, do you know how to deal with this?” Mike grinned at Dani, showing her a mostly toothless smile. He nodded, clearly excited to show off his culinary talents. “Tonight, Stacy, we celebrate this mission, and we celebrate Grace’s birthday. Come with me.” 

They walked back to Dani’s office. There was a cabinet on the far side, underneath the map of Southern California. Dani bent over and pulled out a small wooden crate. She hefted it up onto her desk, to let the young girl ogle the contents. Whiskey. Eight bottles of aged whiskey, prewar, including Knob Creek, Old Forester, and Crown Royal. “We’re going to get drunk.” Stacy’s eyes lit up. 

“I haven’t been drunk, ever.” The young girl admitted. She seemed a little nervous about it. Dani took out a bottle of Crown Royal, cracked the seal on it and sniffed the contents. She smiled at Stacy before tipping the bottle to her lips, taking a long, deep pull. The liquor burned her throat and collected in her belly like liquid fire. She scrunched up her face at the aftertaste. She was more a fan of good tequila, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She passed the bottle to Stacy. The red head took a long swig, and Dani knew the kid was in trouble. She started coughing hard as soon as she swallowed. 

“Breathe, girl. Just breathe.” Dani stepped forward, took the bottle before Stacy could drop it, and held the kid steady. 

“Holy shit. Is that supposed to be good?” Stacy croaked, feeling her stomach turn. 

Dani held the bottle up, looking for impurities in the light of her office. “Well, it’s not bad. I mean, considering what our options are, this is the good stuff.” Dani took another drink, letting the booze settle her excitement. She handed it back to Stacy. The girl stood, swallowed hard, took a deep breath in, and had another shot. This time wasn’t so bad. She didn’t choke or cough. Instead she growled loudly. 

Dani turned at the sound of knocking on her office door. “Enter!” She yelled, suddenly feeling the alcohol go right to her head. She tried not to laugh at the absurdity of the sound of her voice. Lloyd stuck his head inside. 

“Commander? The team has arrived.” Dani walked over and put the bottle in Lloyd’s hands. 

“Have a drink, soldier.” She smiled at him and watched him automatically slug back three deep swallows. She never pegged Lloyd for a drinker. 

“Ahhhh!! That’s awesome! I haven’t had a drink in years.” Lloyd held the bottle, reading the label, remembering something from long ago. Dani didn’t think he was quite old enough to drink before Judgement Day. Moonshine operations were abundant since the apocalypse. The quality of that crap was questionable at best. It was a lean mix, and could be used as an explosive or jet fuel in a pinch. 

“No one has, Lloyd. Keep that.” Dani beckoned Stacy out of her office and the three made their way to the south tunnel. The Commander could hear the grinding of the bay doors and the sudden ‘thunk’ of metal on metal as they closed up. She stopped where she was to watch the small crew round the corner. Ruiz was first, as was typical Ranger protocol. Ruiz had been point man since Henry’s death. The pilot was next, talking excitedly about taking fire at the power plant. The scorpion was in need of repairs before he could take off again. A tech directed him to the ordinance office down the first hallway. He split off and left the group. Dane and Grace came around slowly. Dane looked hurt. He was leaning heavily against Grace, who was helping him walk. Stacy ran to her brother. Dani made eye contact with Grace, who looked pretty dirty. At least she wasn’t covered in blood this time. 

“Stacy, my bag.” Dane muttered as Grace helped him sit down in the triage area. Owens and another female medic began to look him over. 

“On it.” Stacy turned and sprinted off toward Dane’s room. He needed his medication. 

“I’m ok. I just over exerted myself. We had to run faster than I thought. That's all. I’m ok, Commander.” 

“He’s overheating. If we don’t get him cooled off right now his power source will burn him out.” Owens announced. The second medic ran to bring a stretcher. Dane began to lose consciousness. Dani and Grace stood beside him, holding him upright. The younger medic returned with a backboard. The four women and Ruiz loaded a very heavy sergeant onto it and carried him to the infirmary. 

The infirmary didn’t have enough light, Dani realized. Not enough by far. At least it was empty right now. Owens stood over top of Dane, stripping off his clothes as she could. “We need to get him into the shower. Harper, run cold water.” Grace did not hesitate. Being ordered around by a medic was different than being ordered around by lower ranking soldiers. She knew to always do whatever the medics needed. It was always a matter of life or death. She ran to the back of the infirmary, to the emergency shower, and turned the water on full blast. Near freezing water hit her hands. Good enough. She ran back to help the crew carry Dane to the shower. She’d never seen a fully naked man before. Even Ruiz and Henry had always worn shorts in her presence. She might remember having seen her father naked once, but never in her adult life. He was beautiful, Grace thought. His body was muscular, not too thin, and covered in a layer of thin red fur. The augmentation scars ran down arms and his legs. She tried not to stare. Dane Lewis was magnificent. They carried him into the shower, where Grace and Owens accompanied him in. The water was ice cold. Grace gasped at the sudden shock against her skin. The two sat Dane down on the shower floor, and Owens leaned him against the wall. She stood, and directed the shower head right at Dane’s core. Grace stepped over him, soaking wet now, and got out of the way. She felt an arm on her shoulder as Stacy pushed by her, holding a small pack. She knelt beside her brother. Stacy pulled a syringe from the contents of the bag, along with a glass vial containing a cloudy white fluid. She stuck the needle into the rubber stopper of the vial, drawing out a decent amount of liquid. With surgical precision, Stacy pushed the needle into Dane’s abdomen. She dropped the plunger down and pushed the meds into her brother’s body. This was not the first time she’d had to do this. Stacy stood up, dumping the vial and the needle back into the bag. 

“What happened? How did he get like this?” She turned to Grace, her eyes accusing and concerned. 

“We were running. He overheated.” Grace replied. It was the truth. 

“He should not have gone out there. You KNOW that, Grace.” Stacy was pissed off. She turned back to look at her unconscious brother in the shower. Dani looked at Grace for some kind of an answer. She had seen exhausted augments many times before. They usually only acted this way when they had been fighting terminators, and that included Grace from the distant past. Dani remembered throwing ice on her in the motel to keep her from overheating. Grace regarded Dani silently, but said nothing. Dane had told her not to. 

“I ordered him to go, Stacy. You were there.” Dani recovered. 

“I know, but. Fuck, Dani, look at him. He can’t keep this up. He’s not supposed to fight or work too hard.” Stacy was on the verge of tears, staring down at the helpless man on the floor. Owens bent down to check his temperature, noting that it was coming down steadily. 

“Why? He’s augmented. That’s what they’re built to do.” Dani countered, clearly not understanding Dane’s plight. 

“Because he’s not, Commander.” She turned and stormed out of the infirmary. Dani turned to go after the girl, but Grace stopped her. 

“Let me go talk to her.” Grace knew Stacy would speak to her about Dane. If she could keep his secret a while longer, then she would. She gently squeezed Dani’s arm as she turned to go after the girl. 

“Could someone please tell me what the fuck just happened?” Dani threw her arms up in the air, asking no one in particular. 

“Commander, with me, if you would?” Owens motioned for Dani to follow her back to the other side of the med bay. Dani did follow her, shaking her head. Owens turned back to her, “this is not a military augment, Commander. This is something else. I’ve only ever seen one other instance like this. The enhancements are almost the same. Bones or organs get replaced, a reactor gets put in, but the recipient is not a fighter. It’s quite the opposite. Any fighting at all, any exertion beyond normal heartbeats and breathing will overload the tech inside them. This is a life-support job. The boy is sick, Commander.” 

Dani looked at Owens incredulously. “What do you mean, he’s sick?” She put her hands on her hips and thrusted one foot out in front of her. A power stance. She was getting tired of not knowing what was going on. 

“Autoimmune diseases, cancer, injuries. I’ve only seen one before. He doesn’t have the wire mesh under his skin. And he’s got a long scar running down his spine. That, I’ve only ever seen once with a marrow cancer case.” Owens lowered her voice to explain this to Dani, who was beginning to understand. It wasn’t a secret that the Resistance kept from her. It was a secret that Dane Lewis kept from her. Commander Ramos turned to look back in Dane’s direction. 

“Will he be ok?” She asked quietly. 

“I think so. His sister was quick with the medication. His core is cooling down nicely. We’ll keep him for a while and let him recover. I should know in about an hour.” 

“Keep me posted, Owens. Thank you.” Dani left the infirmary, suddenly not knowing where to go. She’d ordered food for the celebration. She had whiskey in her office to pull out at the last second, for the private party with Grace and their friends. She decided to go back to the command station and work with Lloyd for a while until Grace returned with or without Stacy Lewis. 

Grace jogged down the hallway, around the long curve of the tunnel, counting doors till she got to number 86. She figured 85 had to be Stacy’s room. Outside the door, she stopped to catch her breath. She softly knocked on the door and waited. She heard nothing from inside the room. She knocked again. This time, she heard the doorknob turn. Grace straightened up as Stacy opened the door a crack. “Hey, it’s just me.” Grace said somewhat breathlessly. Stacy opened the door and stepped out of her room. She’d been crying. Her eyes were puffy and red, matching her hair. “I’m sorry, Stacy. I really am. I didn’t know how bad it was.” 

“It’s bad. Dane would never say it, but he can’t do anything anymore. His enhancements are barely keeping him upright.” Stacy began to cry again. Grace didn’t know whether to hold the girl or stand back. Her body was physically demanding that Grace keep her distance. Her heart told her to offer some compassion. She rested a hand on the girl’s arm, softly rubbing her bicep. 

“If I had known, believe me, I would not have taken him out there.” 

“This isn’t your fault. It’s not Dani’s fault. It’s the stupid cancer. I wish it had killed him before he had to go through all of this.” Stacy hung her head, sobbing. 

“Don’t say that. You don’t mean that.” Grace pulled the girl close and held her despite her better judgement. 

“I do. You don’t know what he’s been through. All the nights he was so sick from chemotherapy that didn’t work. Every time he cried and I could hear him in the next room. Then the enhancements almost killed him. And now? He’s just a shell of my brother, Grace!” 

Grace rubbed Stacy’s back gently. “He’s still your brother.” She whispered, wishing she still had hers. There wasn’t a day that went by that she didn’t wish for him to be with her. Sometimes, Grace imagined what he’d look like now, all grown up. She bit back the emotion and swallowed it. 

“I know. I’m sorry. It’s just really hard sometimes when shit like this happens. I never know if he’ll wake up again.” 

Grace pushed herself back from Stacy, trying to get the girl to look at her. “Hey. He’ll wake up. He’s going to be fine. He will. You’ll see.” Stacy nodded, wiping away her tears, running the back of her sleeve across her nose. She stood up straight to look Grace in the eye. For all her trepidation about being close to Stacy, Grace really should have seen it coming. Stacy stepped in quickly and grabbed the back of Grace’s neck, pulling her down for a kiss. Grace felt hot, young lips graze her own and a light tongue press into her mouth as she pulled away violently. 

“No.” The blonde warrior took two big steps back from Stacy. The girl tried to step closer to her, but Grace’s arm shot straight out to stop her. She shook her head, adamantly against whatever Stacy was going to do. Grace’s pulse was in her ears. She couldn’t think. Her whole body was reacting to the moment. She felt herself grow hard beneath her pants, and her stomach turned as a wave of nausea passed over her. “I have to go.” She turned and walked away quickly. Grace felt shame and confusion. Her body had betrayed her, even though her heart remained true to her partner. 

Grace headed to the armory, to get rid of her gear. She’d looped the chin strap of her helmet through a belt loop on her trousers, and was suddenly aware of every step she took. The heavy headgear would slap relentlessly against her hip bone, and it was becoming very uncomfortable. The shoulder strap of her Equalizer was pulling too tight against her neck since she had slung it diagonally across her back. Her chest armor was too tight suddenly. She looked at her arms, filthy from the dirt and dust at the power plant. Her hands were black from the C4. She felt Dane Lewis’ pain. She, too, needed a cold shower. She was beyond embarrassed. She pulled open her locker, on constant lookout to see if the red head had followed her. Quickly, Grace stuffed all of her gear into the locker, slammed it, and took off running toward her room where there was a private shower. At least she’d feel safe there. 

Her room offered little respite from her shame. Grace shut the door and locked it. She took her boots off and uncharacteristically kicked them across the room. One landed in the middle of the bed. The other bounced off the arm chair. She stripped her shirt, t-shirt, pants, and briefs off, making a trail on the floor as she went to the bathroom. She ran a lukewarm shower, deciding to make it gradually colder when she was in there. She stepped under the hard stream, letting it wash over her. She pushed her hair back, hoping to feel clean. She looked down to see her cock standing up still. She could jerk off and no one would ever know. She reached down to take herself, but felt dirty and dishonest. She let go and leaned against the wall of the shower, resting her forehead against the cool tile. She heard movement behind her, but before she could turn around, she felt two warm arms slide around her waist. There were lips on her skin between her shoulder blades. Gentle hands rubbed her abs before slipping up to cup her breasts. 

“My love. You’re home.” The Spanish accent of her partner’s voice was enough to take Grace to her knees. Instead, she wept. She rested her forehead against her own arms and cried into them. She felt Dani pull her back from the wall, trying to get Grace to face her. “What is it, amante?” Dani could feel the slight convulsions of Grace’s body as she cried quietly under the shower. Dani pushed her way between Grace and the cold wall, fixing herself against her partner, whether she liked it or not. Dani felt the hard shaft pressing against her belly. “Grace,” she whispered. “Mirame.” Grace stood straight and finally looked at Dani, who was visibly concerned about her. “What happened?” 

Grace felt shame burning in her heart like a hot iron, branding her as a traitor. “Stacy. I went to talk to her. Dane’s got cancer. He shouldn’t even be here. He’s so sick.” 

“I know. Owens told me about it. She was just guessing, but...” Dani reached up to stroke Grace’s cheek. “What else, my love?” She pressed herself closer to Grace, trying to steady her in her grief. 

“She tried... she... kissed me. Dani, I...” 

Dani stood quietly, unwavering. She was only surprised it hadn’t happened sooner with one of the newer recruits. Dani had heard all the stories about girls wanting to fuck Lieutenant Harper. 

“I was holding her because she was crying. Anyone would. And she just did it. I pushed her off. I didn’t want it, Dani.” Grace was trembling. Dani put her palms on the blonde’s chest, digging her fingers into the space above her collar bones. 

Dani considered her next words carefully. She wasn’t upset with Grace. Clearly, the blonde had been adversely affected by the encounter. “I can make them leave, as soon as Dane is ready to go.” Dani offered. Grace shook her head. 

“The kid has been through a lot with her brother.” Grace spoke and her voice shook. She knew how jealous Dani could be and didn’t want her to kill the poor girl. 

“I know, amor. Are you ok?” Dani brought her palms up over Grace’s shoulders, using them to start washing away the dirt on her arms. Grace nodded, a little unsteady. She felt herself calming down more. “Can I kiss you?” Dani looked up, searching her partner’s eyes, trying to bring her back around. Grace nodded. She felt Dani pull her by the arms. Dani arched up to meet Grace’s mouth, pressing against her softly at first, then harder. She pulled back far enough to whisper “give me your tongue.” Grace dove back in, mouth open, tongue penetrating Dani’s mouth. She heard Dani moan, feeling the vibration of it against her mouth. 

Grace pulled away suddenly. “I’m sorry.” Dani shook her head, knowing Grace had nothing to be sorry for. Dani slipped a hand between them, taking a hold of Grace’s hard cock. 

“Who is this for? Her? Or me?” Dani hissed, squeezing the hard shaft. 

“Dani, I... I...” Grace had just been thrown over the edge. Her body had reacted to the situation, but she didn’t want it. “I didn’t mean for it to happen, Dani.” Her voice was barely a whisper. Grace closed her eyes, feeling the red-hot shame pour over her. The water suddenly felt 20 degrees cooler on her skin. 

“Tell me, Grace. Who do you respond to?” Dani began stroking the blonde’s length, rubbing the head with her thumb. Grace throbbed in her hand. 

“You.” She couldn’t manage anything else. She was completely aroused and ashamed at the same time. 

“That’s right. You know why?” Dani rubbed her faster, tightening her grip. “Because you’re mine. Mine.” 

Grace nodded, keeping her eyes shut tight. 

“Say it, Lieutenant.” Dani reached down with her other hand to cup Grace’s swollen balls. The blonde let out a loud moan. 

“I’m yours, Commander.” 

“Grace? Look at me.” Dani’s tone softened. Grace cracked her eyes open, not wanting to hide from her anymore. Dani continued stroking her, feeling herself getting wet between her own thighs. Dani took hold of one of Grace’s hands, pushing it between her legs. “Touch me.” She felt Grace cup her of her own volition, pulling her folds apart with eager fingers. Grace groaned as she felt the slick heat of her partner begin to coat her up to her first knuckles. “Grace, I want you to fuck me until I cry.” 

Grace throbbed hard in Dani’s hand. This was her safe place, her home. Dani had never asked her to do that before. To be rough like that. Maybe Dani wasn’t asking her to be rough, perhaps just thorough. She wasn’t about to disappoint her partner. “Are you ok, Dani?” She wondered suddenly how the brunette had fared all day in her absence. 

Dani looked up at her, overwhelmed by several different emotions from the day. She was jealous of Grace, being able to go out on a mission on a moment’s notice. The gifts from the kids. The girl that obviously wanted her partner. She moved forward, leaning against Grace. She continued stroking her, feeling Grace’s fingers slip deep inside of her. “I am now.” 

Grace pulled her hand away, and pulled Dani up against her. She felt the Commander wrap her legs around her hips. Grace reached down with one hand and turned the hot water on more, letting the shower warm up considerably. Her blood was pumping faster now, every bit of it flowing into her erection. “Dani, I’m yours. And guess what? You’re fucking mine!” Grace leaned down and bit Dani’s neck hard. She heard the yelp come from her lover as nails dug into her back. Grace held her cock in one hand, lining up to drive it home. She paused, looking into Dani’s gorgeous amber eyes. There was always that moment, before rough sex, or after a traumatic event. The moment where they connected, communicating nothing but a complete understanding, a bottomless well of love, and fierce loyalty for each other. And then, Grace thrusted up as Dani sank down. 

Grace backed Dani up against the wall of the shower, thrusting deep, madly. She was panting and groaning with each sensation as her cock dragged through Dani’s tight center. “Grace, you’re so fucking big! I almost can’t take you.” Dani played. She could take Grace in her entirety every time, as if she were built to take her. Grace filled her completely, stretching her almost painfully sometimes. 

“You can take me, Commander. And you will.” Grace pounded her into the wall, stopping occasionally to grind into her even deeper. Grace kept that needful eye contact, always aware of Dani’s state of mind, if she was in pain. She never was with Grace. Dani tightened her thighs around Grace’s hips, getting more traction with every deep, hard thrust. She felt herself clench tightly around Grace’s erection, sucking it hard every time she lifted off of it. She wanted to make Grace come hard. Grace was close, getting closer as Dani rode her. She looked down to watch herself slip in and out of her partner’s wetness. She just glided in and out, like silk on glass. Every part of Dani was home to every part of Grace. She looked back up to see the tears streaming down her lover’s face. Grace slowed down, pumping Dani gently. She’d given Dani what she asked for, but suddenly wondered if she wanted it. “Dani...” Grace whispered. She reached between them to find Dani’s swollen clit with her thumb. She rubbed it gently. “Come, baby.” Dani nodded through the tears, grinding completely down on Grace’s shaft, making slow circles with her hips. Grace continued rubbing her, listening to her partner moan louder and louder until she arched her back and erupted in pleasure. Dani closed her eyes, Grace kept looking at her, watching her lover’s orgasm sweep over her. It was heaven to Grace, knowing she was the reason for Dani’s reckless abandon. As Dani’s walls clenched and convulsed around Grace, she felt her own climax take over. She shot every bit of herself deep inside of Dani. “Daniella!” Grace screamed her full name, her knees nearly buckling. She leaned hard against Dani, trying to support them both against the wall. Grace was breathless, throbbing. Dani wept and held onto Grace’s back. They stayed like that for a long time until the water went cold. 

Grace finally let Dani stand up, as she slid herself free. Commander Ramos pulled Grace down for a gentle, sloppy kiss. “Happy birthday, my one and only.” Grace laughed. Her birthday. She had completely forgotten, but Dani hadn’t. “Come on. We have a party planned for you.”


	8. Party at the End of the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Look over here there's a girl  
> I've never seen her before  
> Her eyes are looking straight at you  
> Across the crowded dance floor  
> Ooh she's smiling  
> What a beautiful sight  
> I got a funny feeling  
> She's gonna dance with you tonight
> 
> She could be the perfect partner  
> She can take it in her stride  
> She won't try to lead or follow  
> The perfect partner by your side."
> 
> -Jimmy Buffet

Dani decided to stop being the Commander of the Resistance for one night. She dressed in her uniform pants, but decided against braiding her hair or wearing her fatigue shirt. She opted for a simple black t-shirt. She wore no insignia, no red arm band. Tonight, she just wanted to be Dani Ramos. Grace didn’t even want to go out after what had happened with Dane and Stacy. She wanted to go see Dane at least, to see how he was. She laid on the bed crossways, with her head hanging over the edge. A simple black tank top and her under shorts were as far as she’d got with dressing. She watched Dani upside down as she got ready to go back out into the base. 

Dani finished drying her hair and came out of the bathroom, seeing Grace not making any progress. “Why are you just lying there? We’ve got things to do.” Dani put her hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently. Grace smiled up at her and gave that adorable crooked smile. 

“Can’t we just stay in? You know I hate parties.” 

Dani crossed her room and knelt in front of Grace, taking the blonde warrior’s head in her hands. “Amada, are you sure this isn’t because of what happened with Stacy?” Grace closed her eyes, trying not to think about it again. Of course, that’s what this was about. Grace was certainly older, and supposed to be more mature, the bigger person; but she was embarrassed by the whole thing. She felt Dani’s mouth on hers, upside down, just like that night in Jackson. Dani didn’t press further. She let go of Grace and stood up. In Grace’s mind, Dani didn’t seem the least bit bothered by what had happened. She took care of Grace, and that was always her priority. Perhaps Dani didn’t feel threatened by a 17-year-old girl with a crush. 

“Dani, where is your mind right now?” Grace rolled over onto her belly, propping herself up on her elbows. Dani stopped fidgeting with her t-shirt and decided to leave it tucked in. 

“What do you mean?” Dani cautiously avoided eye contact. 

“You seem very casual about another woman kissing me. For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been jealous of my time with the Rangers, with Vanda in particular. Back at Highgate, you were stunned, for lack of a better word, when Stacy chose to talk to me about her bullies. I guess I just wonder why this, of all things, isn’t sending you over the edge. I feel ashamed about getting a hard-on when she kissed me, because it wasn’t you doing it. If I were you, I'd be mad at me about that.” 

“Who says I’m not? Jealous. Over the edge. Whatever. Of course, I am. Do you honestly think I’m ok with her kissing you? Making a pass at you? Do I think she has a chance at stealing you away from me? Hell no. But that doesn’t make it okay, does it? And the human body reacts to touch, Grace. There was nothing you could have done about that.” Dani sat on the edge of the bed beside Grace, running gentle fingers over the blonde’s back. 

“So, what are you going to do?” Grace leaned against Dani, resting her head on her partner’s lap. 

“I’m going to fight her.” 

“What?” Grace sat up suddenly. “Fight her?” 

“I’m just kidding. You and I are ok, right? You’re not going to run right out and …" Dani couldn’t bring herself to think about it, let alone say it. 

“Absolutely not. Just don’t kill the kid. I think she’s been through a lot, and there’s worse things than coming on to me. At least it was me, and not some sleazy asshole boy who’d just take advantage of her.” Grace was a big believer in circles of trust. She watched Dani consider this. 

“At least it was you. Why does that make so much sense?” Dani was trying to get over the red-hot anger burning inside of her. Coming home to find Grace all fucked up over that made her angry. She realized that was the whole point. It wasn’t some petty jealousy. It was the way the exchange had affected the one person she cared most about in this world. Dani turned to Grace. “I’m mad as hell that it made you feel that way. Someone we trusted and cared for made you feel that way.” 

“I get that, Dani. But the thing is, I have you. You’re just as much my protector as I am yours. I know you’d do anything to stand between me and whatever fucks up my head and my body. But nothing will fuck up my heart. That’s yours entirely. The point is, Stacy doesn’t have anyone but Dane, really. And she’s on the verge of losing him. He’s not long for the world.” 

Dani sighed heavily. She hated when Grace was so right about things. Dani thought she might be able to forgive Stacy, and herself for being so angry. She did want to sit down and talk to the girl alone, though. She believed Stacy owed her that much, at least. 

“Get dressed, my love, por favor. It’s your birthday, and we’ve got some special treats planned.” Dani ran her fingers through the blonde’s damp hair, pulling it back gently to see the woman she adored. She smiled down on her lover. She sighed heavily and stood up. “I’ll meet you in the common area.” Dani left Grace alone to get ready. 

Grace rolled back over onto her back and thought about the whole situation. She didn’t really think Dani would hurt Stacy, or even be terribly mean to her. There was a party they’d all be attending, and Grace certainly didn’t want any hard feelings or awkwardness going on. She decided to just put it all aside and try to enjoy things, for Dani’s sake. For Stacy’s sake too. Grace rolled over backward off the edge of the bed, landing in a crouched position. She loved being so agile, so young, and wished she were enhanced sometimes. She wished she could fight on the level of the augments. Augmentation, however, was not an elective surgery. Even though the Resistance had perfected the process, it wasn’t without huge risks. Grace had kept herself up to speed on how it all worked. She knew that it wasn’t perfect, just because the last volunteer died over a year ago. There hadn’t been that many volunteers since, for full augmentation. Most soldiers were wounded badly when they volunteered and died before they even got to the operating room. The risks involved with the full process, Grace understood, were with infection, the fight or flight response needing to be individual tuned along with the metabolism. Also, laying several yards of wire mesh under the skin posed its own problems. It was simply a lot of trauma for the human mind to process. Even so, it was all temporary to becoming so physically powerful. Grace had heard from another augment that the process enhanced his sex drive, and he couldn’t get enough after that. Grace didn’t really have that problem now. She thought about being completely insatiable with Dani. Grace began to feel her body respond. Fuck, she thought, if it was this bad when she just thought about Dani, she could only imagine how augmentation would be when she thought about sex. 

Grace forced herself to get up and get dressed. Tonight was actually about Dani just as much as it was about her birthday. The Commander had coordinated a victorious attack against Legion today. She needed to be seen by everyone and held high in their esteem. Grace knew that probably better than Dani did herself. Grace found her pants and put on her boots. She ran her fingers through her hair and decided that was good enough. 

She opened the door, looked both ways down the curved corridor, and headed to the common area. She wanted to stop by the infirmary first and see how Dane was doing. That was stop number one. 

Dani walked down to the infirmary. Owens was just getting done with her shift when Dani met her at the door. Owens looked tired. Her black hair was disheveled. The woman looked so tired behind her eyes. Being a Resistance medic was taxing, Dani supposed. Seeing the wounded day in and day out, prepping them to go into surgery for enhancements, watching people die. Dani looked up at Owens. “How are you tonight?” 

Owens sighed heavily. “I’m tired. I’m just tired of all of this. I wish it were over already. I’m sorry, Commander I’m not complaining. I’m just tired.” 

Dani managed a smile for the woman. “It’s just Dani tonight. And since you’re off work, I’d like to invite you to a party we’re having after dinner. It’s Grace’s birthday.” 

“Is it really? I should get her something.” Owens laughed and made a joke about stopping at Walmart on her way home. 

“That’s not necessary. Dress casual, meet us for dinner in the mess hall.” 

“You got it, Dani. By the way, Sergeant Lewis is fine. He’s a little worn out, but he’s okay. He can leave as soon as you decide to sign him out. I was able to fill a list of special medications, or the equivalents, that will boost his system till he gets back home.” 

“Thank you very much, Owens. I appreciate that.” Dani let her go out. “Hey, I never asked you. What’s your first name?” 

Owens turned around and looked hard at Dani, as if no one had ever asked her that. Maybe it had been so long that she forgot what it was. “Patty.” 

“See you later, Patty.” Dani disappeared inside the infirmary. Dane was sitting up in bed, doing some motor skill exercises with Stacy. The girl was sitting on the edge of his bed, moving her finger in front of his eyes, checking the way they tracked. She had him take hold of her fingers in each of his hands and squeeze, checking for bilateral strength. Dani stood and watched Stacy care for her brother when she really didn’t have to. There were a barrage of medics to do that, but this was all out of love. 

“Glad to see you’re feeling better, Dane.” Dani announced her presence. Stacy nearly jumped out of her skin. She stood up to look at Dani, trying to decide how much Dani knew. “Owens says I can release you whenever I want. Do you feel up to leaving this awful place?” 

“I mean, yeah. I could go for a walk around before dinner. Smells like the mess hall is doing a bang-up job on those steaks.” Dane took a deep sniff of the air. 

“I can’t believe you killed buffalo. How did you pack them out?” Dani was curious how Dane operated on a normal day if he could barely outrun machines now. 

“Huck’s team does all the heavy lifting. I just shoot.” 

Stacy ducked her head and tried to leave. Dani caught her by the shirt sleeve, looked her in the eye and shook her head. “Stay here.” She let the girl go, warning her not to take off. 

“Okay then, Dane. Whenever you want to get dressed, you’re free to go. Do you need any help?” 

“I think I can manage. My clothes are right there,” he pointed to the chair by the bed. “I’m just going to walk back to my room and get something.” Dani nodded to him and turned her attention on Stacy. 

“With me, if you will.” Dani walked the girl out of the infirmary toward her office. As they crossed the common area, Grace was coming in. She watched them go together. Oh shit, she thought. She wanted to jump in and stop whatever was about to happen. However, she learned just to trust Dani’s judgement. She could smell something delicious cooking, and she wanted coffee. Dinner was less than an hour away. Grace was starving. 

Dani ushered Stacy into her office and shut the door behind them. Stacy took a seat in the chair in front of Dani’s desk. Instead of sitting in her Commander’s chair, in any official capacity, Dani sat in the old armchair. Stacy swiveled around to face her. Dani started the conversation by telling Stacy she knew about what happened. She asked if Grace had given her the wrong impression about something. Stacy said no, and hung her head. 

“So why would you do that to her? The thing is, Stacy, Grace and I are solid. We are extremely loyal to each other and protective of one another. If I’m being honest, I’d love nothing more than to stuff you on the next flight out of here. I’m not jealous of you. I’m not worried about anything in the future. I know you’re smart enough not to try it again. But Grace, my Grace, is a very fragile soul. Things like that affect her differently than you or I. You should know that. You’ve seen what she went through on the road to Highgate.” 

“Dani, I’m so sorry about that. I’d had a couple of drinks, and it went straight to my head. Dane is hurting so bad. I don’t know how much longer he has, no matter what he tells you. I’m worried and scared. And I guess I just thought I could find comfort in Grace. It was a stupid thought. I shouldn’t have done it. “ 

Dani thought about what the girl was saying. She remembered wanting to give the girl a purpose. She wondered if over the last four years, Stacy had found that at Highgate. “You should apologize to Grace the next time you see her. I understand crushes and infatuation. The difference is, you can’t act on it sometimes, especially when that person has a partner that’s the Commander of the Resistance. Grace and I took you and your brother in. You’ve been like family to us. I don’t anything, and I mean ANYTHING coming between that. This world is fucked up enough, Stacy.” 

“You’re right. It won’t happen again. I feel terrible.” 

“Well, shake it off, kid. Grace is already over it and ready to move on with life. So am I now. Since I have you here, what have you been doing for the last four years at Highgate?” Dani pulled out another bottle of whiskey, produced two glasses from inside her desk. She offered Stacy a drink, but the girl declined. Dani shrugged, thinking it was for the best. She poured herself one and sipped it. 

“Mostly, I just go to school, if you can call it that. It’s hands-on training. I’m learning everything I can to work in the augmentation division.” 

“I saw you doing some physical tests with Dane. Is that the type of stuff you want to do?” Dani asked, swirling her glass around. 

“No. Not really. I mean, that’s part of it. But I’m in training right now to do surgeries.” 

“Wait. You’re actually helping during the augmentation processes?” Dani set her drink down. Stacy now had her full attention. 

“Yeah. The apocalypse doesn’t care how old you are. Surgeons now only care about how steady your hands are. Turns out, I’m really quite adept at implanting the HUDs and wire mesh. I’m not quite strong enough to do bone replacements yet, but I’m learning. I cracked my first chest last week. I can’t be alone yet, but I’m certified to be in the operating room and remove eyes and peel back skin. I actually performed Dane’s heads-up display a few months ago.” 

The way Stacy talked about it sounded like she was working on cars for a living. Dani felt her mouth hanging open. This was highly unusual and incredible. “Stacy, we could use an assistant surgeon here. Would you consider staying on?” Dani couldn’t believe she went from reprimanding a child to offering that same child a job. 

“You might want to see me work before you ask me that.” Stacy was right. Some surgeons were rough and left terrible scarring for the augments. It wasn’t a terribly big deal, but botched closures could lead to massive infections. Also, if the kid screwed up, it could leave a person blind in one or both eyes. Dani decided that she would sit in on the next process, if there was one. 

“Well, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to need one soon. I’ve got plans for Legion coming up soon, and I expect we’ll have plenty of things for you to do. Will you at least stay as a medic until then?” 

“I’d love to, Dani.” 

“Good. That’s all, Stacy. Would you send Lieutenant Harper in next?” Dani finished her drink and set the glass down like a judge’s gavel on the table beside her chair, adjourning court. Stacy was innocent. 

Out in the common area, Grace was sitting with another soldier discussing the finer points of carrying a knife. She was explaining how useful they were on Rev-2s when Stacy walked up. “Commander Ramos wants to see you.” Grace looked up at her, searching for a clue about their conversation. Stacy revealed nothing, and walked over to see Dane to his room. 

Dani had an ulterior motive for having Stacy stay on. If the timeline panned out the way it was supposed to, Grace would volunteer for the program soon enough. Dani could not risk the blonde’s augmentation to a bunch of basic medics under one surgeon. She needed as many specialists on the team as possible. Even if that particular specialist was after her partner. Actually, that would help things, Dani decided. Stacy would take great care with Grace. 

Her office door slid open and a shock of blonde hair appeared around it. “You wanted to see me?” 

“Come on, goof. I want to talk to you.” Dani moved to her desk, suddenly in her official capacity again. She poured two drinks and motioned for Grace to sit down. Grace got serious all of a sudden. She didn’t like the way this was looking. 

“I’ve asked Stacy to stay on here for the time being, as an assistant surgeon. She’s been training at Highgate in the augmentation division. She’s practiced and seasoned in some things. I need all the help I can get. Basically, you two have to just get along.” Dani started. 

Grace shot the glass of liquor back all at once, not wincing at all. Dani held up the bottle to offer her another. Grace slid her glass across the desk in reply. Dani poured her another, taller drink. She watched Grace finish it in two swallows. Dani put the bottle in her desk. “Here’s the more serious note, Grace. If this timeline works the way you said it would, back in the past, we’re coming up on some serious fucking shit.” 

Grace nodded. She knew what was coming in all likelihood. “The problem is that I have to approve everyone for augmentation before it can be done. If everything happens the way it was supposed to, I won’t be conscious to approve your request. And you will demand it. I won’t deny it. But I’m not going to write up a permission slip for you to give to the teacher. I’m going to promote you instead. The truth is, Grace, we don’t know what will happen. But if for some reason, I’m unconscious and cannot lead, I want you to. This isn’t a vertical promotion. You’re still Lieutenant Harper. It’s a lateral promotion if and when it happens. I’ve already cut the orders. All you need to do is present them when the time is right. Even if you never need augmentation. This is in case something happens to me. Okay?” 

It all seemed pretty cut and dry. Orders from the Commander. That was something Grace understood completely. “Yes, ma’am.” 

“Let’s go eat, amor.” Dani stood up and reached for Grace’s hand, twining her fingers with the blonde’s. She stopped them both right at the door. She looked up into Grace’s loving eyes. “I’ll do anything to ensure our success, even if that means doing the darkest things. I love you, Grace. I just want you to know.” 

Grace held Dani’s hands at their sides. She didn’t say a word. She just bent forward and kissed the Commander. 

The mess hall was full. People were standing in line, but Mike wasn’t serving yet. He was waiting for Dani to show up. She walked over to him and asked why he was holding things up. He told her to make an announcement about dinner, since it was a special occasion. Dani giggled, probably due to the drinks she’d already had. She hopped up on a table in front of everyone and told them that tonight was special for three reasons. One, it was Grace’s birthday. Two, the Resistance had cut Legion’s legs out from under it. And three, friends from the north had brought gifts. She announced they’d be eating buffalo steak tonight, and not waste the opportunity. When she was done, she was met with a raucous round of cheers and applause. She was also first in line with Grace. Mike was still wearing that stupid oven mitt. Dani started laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. There was something about it that cracked her up, and Mike knew it. He shot her a toothless grin and slapped a huge chunk of meat and mashed potatoes on her tray. 

Grace, Dani, Dane, Stacy, Owens, Ruiz, Daniels, and Lloyd all sat together, chowing down on some of the best meat any of them had ever eaten. Grace and Ruiz both cried. That night, they all ate like kings and queens, stuffed to the gills. The laughter that filled the air was amazing. Everyone was in a good mood. 

Toward the end of the meal, Mike appeared from the kitchen with a large pan in his hand. It was also on fire, sort of. He walked over, still wearing the oven mitt. and placed the pan down on the table in front of Grace. It was a white birthday cake. Mike had made it for her that afternoon when Dani told him it was her birthday. He had a cache of cream and sugar to make icing, a stash of flour and eggs to make the cake. Burning in the center was a single, large emergency candle. The room erupted in a chorus of Happy Birthday. It was so loud it shook the whole room. Dani watched Grace’s skin burn bright red, but the smile on her face was worth it all. She couldn’t possibly love the woman more than she did in that moment. Grace blew out the candle and everyone hollered and cheered for her. Mike cut the cake and offered the group pieces. He apologized for not having ice cream. 

Dani excused herself to run to her office to grab the case Dane brought with him. Stacy had a little box to give to Grace, wrapped in red cloth, probably from an ouroboros flag. Dane also had a box on him, wrapped the same way, just bigger. They waited for Dani to return. She sat the case on the table in front of her partner. “Open it.” The entire room was looking. Grace fumbled with the latch, and pulled out the rock, covered in cloth. She unwrapped it carefully, exposing the beautiful brown-red geode. She stared at Dani, not being able to stop the wave of emotion and love that ran right over top of her. Dani whispered in her ear what it meant, to remind Grace of Dani’s eyes. Grace just stared at it, weeping. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Dane slid the box in front of him to Grace. She smiled at him and opened it. It was a 1911-A1 Springfield Battle Cross pistol. 

“I heard you lost yours.” Dane offered, smiling at his friend. Grace smiled and let more tears roll. She was completely moved. She’d lost her pistol back in Jackson when Dani threw it. Stacy had held onto it for a couple years before she decided it had too many bad memories for Grace. She urged Dane to give her his, since he didn’t use it anymore. The gun was sharp. It had a black finish, silver grips with the battle cross etched into it. It looked brand new. He had taken very good care of it. She slipped it back in the box, and Stacy slid her another gift. Grace shook her head in disbelief. She smiled at Stacy, and all was forgotten and forgiven. The box held an old iPod Touch. The screen was cracked, but Stacy assured her it was functional. She had loaded every song that Highgate had on its hard drives. She moved to sit next to Grace to show her how to operate it. Also, in the box were a pair of ear buds. Grace was ecstatic over the gifts from her loved ones. It really was worth getting dressed for, she thought. Lloyd asked if he could see the iPod. Grace handed it to him and watched him disappear into the command center. A few moments later, music boomed over the PA system. It was some upbeat song by an artist no one remembered from the 20th century. 

The group excused themselves to the common area. Dani produced some alcohol, and they drank late into the night. There was dancing and singing. Some men decided to arm wrestle. Grace danced every slow song with Dani, determined to let everyone see them together. It was her birthday after all. Why shouldn’t she get what she wanted. Grace danced with Ruiz and Daniels, and even Owens after a while. Stacy kept her distance, but was happy to. Dani danced with Dane on a slow song because that was about all he was allowed to do. During the song, she told him about requesting Stacy to stay on with them. He thought that would be ok. He asked if he could stay too, considering they would need his skills to get into the TDC. Dani said she’d be more than happy to accommodate him and whatever he would need. 

After the party, Dani led Grace down the curvature of the level, back to their room. People had begun to disperse the later it got. Grace was drunk. Dani wasn’t far behind. They staggered together down the long hall, bumping off each other, laughing at one another. Stacy walked with Dane several paces behind them. She watched them together, and could see how deeply they cared about each other. She felt like a fool for what she had done, but was glad that it hadn’t damaged them. 

Once behind their closed door, Grace fell into bed without taking her boots off. Dani climbed over top of her to get to her side and collapsed into the pillows. She groaned loudly, mumbling something about the hangover they’d both have. Dani raised her head to see Grace, passed out, smiling and snoring. Dani clumsily lifted Grace’s left arm, crawled underneath it, and laid down in her spot on the blonde warrior’s chest.


	9. Distress Signal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where did you sleep last night?  
> Under the cold street light  
> Who last called you by your name? 
> 
> Where did you leave your peace?  
> Other half of your broken leash  
> Why did you run so far away? 
> 
> Lost dog  
> Something 'bout you breaks my heart  
> Why you burying bones out in the yard?” 
> 
> -Sarah Jarosz

Grace woke up with a drum banging in her head. She kept her eyes shut, not wanting to wake up right away. She could feel Dani next to her, but even the brunette’s gentle presence was too much for Grace’s head right now. The whiskey from the night before was threatening her stomach in brand new ways. Grace felt empty and ready to purge at the same time. Nausea started in the pit of her belly, rising up to the back of her throat before she could process it. She heaved, rolled out of bed, and swallowed hard, trying to make it to the bathroom in the pitch blackness of her room. She barely made it to the toilet before the next heave overwhelmed her. Grace threw up everything she’d eaten the night before and then some, it felt like. She heaved again and again until she was empty, shaking and coughing. 

Dani heard Grace vomiting and did not want to even exist right now. “Shut the door, Grace.” Dani growled. She rolled over to face the wall and put a pillow over her head. She heard the bathroom door slam. Dani sighed deeply, hating the hangover that had a stranglehold on them both. She felt bad about not wanting to listen to her partner throw up, but the sound made her own stomach turn. Dani was extremely thirsty and her head was pounding. That would be the last time she drank like that, she promised herself. She pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and tried to go back to sleep. 

Grace knelt in front of the toilet, loath to look at her own vomit swimming in the blue chemical filling the toilet. The chemical saved on water by dissolving waste. It smelled antiseptic, and now a little boozy. Grace gagged and threw up again, with nothing to purge. She was sweating and light headed. She forced herself to stand and put her head under the sink faucet. She drank the water, gulp after gulp, filling her belly in case she threw up again. She was incredibly thirsty and couldn’t get enough. Finally, she turned the water off, rested her hands on the edge of the sink and waited for the inevitable. Her mouth tasted rotten. She’d have to brush her teeth twice just to make friends with her tongue again. 

She didn’t throw up again. She ran the shower and got in, making the water nice and cool against her burning skin. Grace hadn’t felt this shitty since the time she got the flu as a kid. It was right after Judgement Day. There were no doctors, no medications, no Gatorade or Tylenol. She just laid on a cot in an old Arby’s, while her mom applied cold rags to her forehead. 9-year-old Grace had thrown up everything but her soul. She felt like her guts were turning inside out every time her small body heaved. She was racked with pain for days. This felt similar to that, but at least this would pass, she realized. Grace half-expected Dani to join her, as she always did. Instead, Grace washed herself alone. She didn’t linger in the shower. She wanted to sit down and have a moment to try and right herself. She shut the water off, grabbed a towel and dried off. She left the bathroom light on to see her way through the room. 

Grace stood naked in the middle of the floor, wanting to just get back into bed. She knew if she did, however, she’d never want to get back up. It was better to just stay up and get moving. She’d shaken off hangovers before. Moonshine hangovers were often terrible like this, but Grace had really overdone it last night. She moved to her clothes rack and found a uniform for the day. She opted for a long sleeve fatigue shirt, a tank top, and her pants. She crept onto the bed, leaned over top of Dani and kissed her goodbye. Grace kindly shut off the bathroom light, leaving her partner in quiet darkness. Dani was grateful for the extra time to recover. 

The common area was uncommonly quiet today. The party had raged on late into the night. A few people had produced bottles of moonshine and it seemed like everyone on base was getting drunk. Grace made her way to the mess hall, trying to find some coffee. Mike was not around today. The lady in the serving area helped Grace make coffee. It was only 0430 in the morning. She was early for everything. The command center was the only place with activity at this hour. Grace took her much needed mug of coffee and went to stand behind Lloyd. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. 

“Do you always work? Do you ever take time off?” Grace spoke softly behind him, not wanting to agitate her headache. 

“I don’t sleep. I need something to do, and there’s always something to watch down here. For example,” Lloyd made a few key strokes, bringing up a new screen on the wall in front of them. “There’s movement out by the power plant right now.” Little green dots appeared on the black radar screen. 

“Legion?” Grace sipped her coffee, grateful that it wasn’t very strong this morning. 

“No idea. Probably.” He changed the screen again to an area in Long Beach. “And here, Hadrell’s people.” The green dots were more spread out around the base. “And this,” Lloyd said, saving the best for last. The screen changed again to a more concentrated blob of green. It wasn’t moving, just stationary about 20 miles away in downtown Los Angeles. 

“What am I looking at Lloyd?” 

“I don’t know. People. Animals. Machines? It could be anything. But it’s not moving like machines would. I’m guessing it’s a bedded down herd of deer. It could be a group of people camped out there. No way to know.” 

“Hmph,” The noise came out louder than Grace had intended. She swirled the diluted coffee in her cup before gulping the rest down. She felt the wave of nausea float up from her core again. She forced herself to ignore it. She needed something to eat before she took her meds for the day. She decided to stop at the infirmary to see about a pain reliever. “I’ll be back, Lloyd. Gotta go see a man about a horse.” 

Lloyd turned around to say something to her, but Grace was already halfway across the common area, on her way to the med bay. The nurse on duty issued Grace her medication. Anne Morris had prescribed her a long-term dose of an antidepressant. Grace took a tissue from a box, wadded it up and stuffed it down into the pill bottle to keep the pills from rattling in her pocket. She didn’t like carrying it but liked others knowing about it even less. The nurse handed Grace a mild pain reliever and a small bottle of electrolyte replacement liquid. Grace sat in the common area by herself, drinking the juice. It wasn’t really juice though. It was just flavored to make it less disgusting. Grace really did not want to throw up again. She sat alone until she felt the pain meds kick in a little, and her headache began to subside. The nurse had given her two pain pills; but Grace pocketed one to take to Dani in a little bit. 

From the command center, Grace heard the static of the old short-wave radio. It sat in a corner of the station, mostly unused and unmonitored. The distant voice on the other end was sending a distress call. Grace stood and walked over to where Lloyd stood by the radio, listening to the woman’s voice come through the static. 

“We are 11 souls, stranded, no food, no weapons, surrounded by Legion. Please help us. There’s a storm coming. We have small children. Our coordinates are...” Grace stood aside as Lloyd turned and flew back to his desk, punching the coordinates into his keyboard. The screen on the wall displayed the area he’d shown Grace earlier. The concentrated green blob. It was a group of survivors in need of assistance. Grace picked up the radio, confirming their message had been received. 20 miles was too far to walk safely with children in tow. Grace ordered them to stay put, and they’d be in contact. 

“We haven’t had any new people in a long time, Grace. This is weird.” 

“Should I ask them where they’re from, who their ancestors are? Or should I round up a rescue team, Lloyd?” Grace was more than mildly annoyed, but it was all because she felt like crap. “Sorry. I’m going to get the Commander.” 

Grace walked swiftly down the corridor until she reached the door to her room. She slipped inside. The room was still dark and stank of alcohol. She wished there was a window to air the place out. Instead, Grace left the door open a little bit, providing light and fresh air. She moved to the bed, sat down and twisted around to wake Dani. Grace gently rubbed the brunette’s shoulder, softly speaking to her. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t bother you, but we need you downstairs. We got a distress call from a group of survivors.” Grace continued rubbing Dani’s shoulder, tracing soft fingertips across her partner’s back. Dani moaned and rolled over to face Grace. The blonde warrior touched Dani’s cheek, waiting patiently for her to wake up fully. 

“How long ago?” Dani started to sit up. Grace offered her a strong arm to hang onto. 

“Just now. Lloyd was watching a group on the radar. They’re about 20 miles out, downtown.” 

Dani nodded, rubbing her face. “Ok. Give me a few minutes. I’m going to take a quick shower.” Grace held out her hand, closed into a fist. Dani opened her palm underneath it to receive whatever Grace was holding. The blonde dropped the large, white pill into her hand. She produced half the bottle of juice from her cargo pocket and handed it to Dani. 

“These will help.” Grace leaned in and kissed Dani’s cheek. “I’m going to go back down.” Dani nodded, squeezing Grace’s forearm as she stood to leave. Dani was always touched by how whatever Grace had in her possession, she always gave half of it to her. She smiled, swallowed the pill and drank the liquid quickly. Dani stood quickly and sat down on the edge of the bed. Her head wasn’t quite ready to move that fast. 

Grace found Lloyd in his usual spot. He was clacking away at his computer keyboard. “Anything new?” She asked, watching the green blob on the screen. 

“Not really, just a repeat of the coordinates and a weather update. There’s a sandstorm moving in from the east. High winds, lightning. Perfect for weekend travelers if there’s no traffic.” Lloyd’s attempt at a joke fell on deaf ears. 

“Pull up the shortest route. Our Scorpion is down for repairs.” 

Lloyd began pulling up a digital map of the area, showing the quickest route into the city. “This is the fastest way, but the road is broken between here and here.” Lloyd highlighted a section spanning a few miles. Grace began to consider how the Rangers could get out there. She knew that she, Ruiz, and Daniels could hike the distance within the day, if they left soon. 

“What do we have on the road right now?” Grace knew the base had wheeled vehicles. They weren’t used much since the aircraft could take them in and out far faster. 

“Nothing’s out right now. The jeeps are all in the east tunnel, prepped and ready to roll.” He looked up at Grace, watching her chew her thumbnail. She nodded and walked away. She’d need Ruiz and Daniels on this. 

Dani toweled off in the bathroom, and braided her hair while it was still wet. She considered cutting her hair short again. She looked at her reflection, noticing how much older she looked now than she did a year ago. The war was really taking its toll on her. She had gray hair now, lines in her face, circles under her eyes. She decided not to stand there and worry about it anymore. She dressed quickly, laced her boots, and headed out for the day. The pill Grace gave her must have been an opiate, because Dani was suddenly feeling much better if not slightly euphoric. 

Ruiz and Daniels had side by side rooms down from Grace and Dani’s. Grace knocked on Ruiz’s door first, followed by Daniels’. She stood back and waited for them to both answer. Both doors opened at the same time. “Hey fellas. We got a distress call from downtown. We have to go pick some people up. Muster.” The men nodded at Grace as she turned back down the hall, heading for the armory. She saw Dani leaving their room and ran to catch up to her. They walked together to the common area, talking about the survivors. 

“It could be a trap, Grace. We haven’t heard from new people in a while. Where did they say they were from?” 

“They didn’t. But they have small children with them, and they’re trapped.” That seemed to be good enough for Grace to risk life and limb. 

“I need more information than that.” Dani strode down the hall, trying to get to the command center fast. 

Lloyd was over at the short wave radio, talking to the same woman on the other end. She told him they hadn’t eaten in days. There was no water out there. “Ask her where they’re from.” Dani’s voice commanded Lloyd before he had a chance to look at her. He relayed the question and was met with silence. Grace looked at Dani who stood stoic, with her arms crossed over her chest. The anxiety began to creep into Grace’s heart, making it beat faster. 

The staticky voice picked up the line, “some of us are from El Segundo, Santa Monica, Culver City, one guy is from Torrance.” Dani took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip. 

“What are they doing out there? Why did they leave wherever they were?” 

Lloyd relayed the inquiries, and Grace hoped for solid answers. 

“We were overrun by machines in Santa Monica. The food ran out everywhere else. We are all that’s left. Please send help. We have injured and babies.” The woman’s voice was pleading, desperate. 

Grace shook her head. “Dani.” 

“Prep your team. I want you back before sundown.” That was an order. 

“Yes, Commander.” Grace turned and ran to the armory where Daniels and Ruiz would meet her. 

“Grace?” Dani yelled out behind the blonde. Grace turned to check back. 

“Take some shooters with you. Don’t fuck around.” 

Grace nodded and winked at her partner, turned and disappeared down the tunnel.


	10. Standoff in L.A.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Go on, take everything,  
> take everything, I want you to  
> And the sky was all violet  
> I wanna give the violet more violence  
> Hey, I'm the one with no soul  
> One above and one below.” 
> 
> -Hole

Grace recruited two new Rangers to accompany them into the city. Marlin James and Trinity Baxendale had proven themselves during training, to be able to run every type of gun Grace threw at them. She was confident in their ability to shoot straight, although their experience in the field was nil. Baxendale had never been out before, even though she grew up in the aftermath of Judgement Day. She had never known the world before machines. James had been out a few times with Grace’s team. He was steady and reliable. Grace ordered Baxendale to stay close to her during the operation. They readied themselves in the armory room, packing food and weapons, armor and helmets. Grace neglected her helmet today. She hated it anyway. She wished she could get another boonie hat. Besides, it was going to be hot out today, she justified her choice by understanding how a sandstorm would fuck up her scalp under the confines of a helmet. 

Three jeeps from before the war were waiting for them in the east tunnel. There were no operators on this end. The east tunnel was seldom used anymore. Grace activated the door herself, allowing the team to roll out. She had to stop her jeep, get out, and activate the door again to shut it. She really hoped someone would be there to reopen it when they got back. Who knew what would be on their tails when they came back? 

The team sped along the highway, weaving through abandoned vehicles and overgrowth. They came to the part of the road that was fragmented. Several city blocks had been effectively blown to bits at some point. Ruiz stopped the convoy. He stepped out of the vehicle and made his way back. Grace and Baxendale met him in the middle. Everything looked fairly clear. According to the coordinates given by the survivor, they were less than 3 miles from where Grace’s team was. Daniels, James, and Baxendale provided lookout in all directions while Ruiz and Grace tried to find the best way to the survivors. 

“We need cover. We need to get off this road. We can leave the vehicles here and walk in.” Grace ordered the plan. Ruiz nodded and packed up the maps. Their course was set. The Rangers were silent as they moved between the buildings. There was a large city park sitting between them and where the survivors said they’d be. The park spanned the greatest distance they had to walk. There was tree cover here, so to speak. Mostly it was a crop of dead trees, but Grace was grateful for any barriers between themselves and machines. 

Grace headed up the rear while Ruiz took point. Daniels and the others held flanking positions and they moved quite stealthily through the park. There was no noise, no sign of machines. Grace thought it was a little odd. She figured this city would be crawling with machines protecting the TDC. Instead, the Rangers were met with deathly silence. As they weaved in and out of the dead, gray trees, something moved. Grace caught the movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head left to see a shape running through the trees less than 20 yards away. Grace clicked her tongue three times to signal her team to stop. Ruiz turned back to look at her. Grace signaled to the left. The team looked to see but nothing was there. Grace took several steps in that direction, rifle tucked snugly against her shoulder. Ruiz clicked his tongue twice, signaling the Rangers to hold. Grace crouched behind a fallen tree, watching. She heard a commotion behind her in the direction of her team. She heard shots fired suddenly and Baxendale screaming. Grace swung back around to see her team shooting at nothing. There weren’t any machines attacking them. She finally did see figures moving in and out of the trees then. She raised up her rifle to take aim at anything that would stand still. Grace never felt the rifle butt come down on the back of her head. She never saw the woman who hit her. Grace fell to the ground, unconscious. 

Several hours later, Grace was brought back to reality by a hand slapping her cheek. Where was she? She tried opening her eyes but everything swam. She couldn’t see straight. The back of her head was throbbing and cold. She’d probably been bleeding. She was lying face down on a concrete slab. The wind outside was howling. Grace tried to move to push herself up to her feet, but she couldn’t. Her hands were tied tightly behind her back. Her feet were bound as well, tied together and also tied to her wrists. Something was stuffed into her mouth, dry and stifling. She felt panic begin to set in. She bucked and fought against the ties, trying to free herself. 

“Just fucking relax, bitch.” The man’s voice was deep and raspy, as if he’d smoked all of his life. Grace looked up, trying to focus on the figure looming over her. “The sand is about to fly.” He seemed less concerned with her and more concerned with the weather outside of the shelter. Grace could see flashes of lightning bouncing off the walls, illuminating the building. The sky grew ominously dark. Her eyes were still not focusing correctly, no matter how many times she blinked. Who was this guy? Where was she? Where was her team? 

The wind began to whip through the shell of the building, whining and crying. Grace could feel the sand begin to pelt her skin. She was having a hard time breathing, and she couldn’t move. She was in full blown panic mode. She was hyperventilating now, struggling against the bindings on her ankles and wrists, desperate to free herself. She couldn’t move at all. The sand was invading her nasal passages, preventing her from inhaling. She tried to scream, but the cloth stuffed between her teeth prevented any sound from escaping over the howl of the wind. She felt something heavy drop over her head, a blanket perhaps. She couldn’t breathe before, but the blanket over her face made the air hot. Grace finally passed out, blissful in the darkness. 

She heard the boots on the concrete all around her. She counted at least five people walking around. She heard different voices, hushed whispers echoing against the cement walls. Grace tried to remain still, but she still couldn’t breathe. Grace wanted to cry, and felt a sob escape her throat. The group surrounding her must have heard it also. Someone pulled the cover off of her head. Grace blinked several times. The room was lit up by a small lantern. The flame throwing shadows over the figures standing over her. The floor was covered in a thick layer of sand. In the corner on the other side of the room, Grace saw a Ranger, unconscious, facing away from her. With the blanket over his head, she couldn’t tell who it was. She couldn’t even know if whoever it was might still be alive. A woman knelt beside Grace, looking her over from head to toe. She pulled the cloth from Grace’s mouth. Grace tried to scream but her throat was so dry, nothing came out. 

“Shhhh. Don’t want the monsters to find you, do you?” The woman stared down at Grace, running dirty, greasy fingers through the blonde’s hair. Grace tried to jerk her head away, but the woman made a fist in her hair, pushing Grace’s face into the concrete, hard. 

“Who are you?” Grace’s voice was barely audible. 

“You want some water?” The woman asked her, instead of answering her question. Grace nodded emphatically. 

The woman stood and a man beside her handed her a bottle of water. The woman knelt back down, pressing the mouth of the bottle to Grace’s lips. She barely poured enough water into Grace’s mouth for her to swallow once, before she pulled it away. 

“Please. Who are you?” Grace rasped. She tried to get a better view of the room and the unconscious Ranger, but she couldn’t see past the woman and the man standing beside her. Grace couldn’t even see other people in the room. 

“We’re survivors just like you. Well, maybe not like you. We don’t have fancy uniforms or guns or nothing.” The woman started, swirling the water in the bottle, teasing Grace. “Mostly, we’re just making sure you’re not a machine. Are you a machine, soldier?” 

“What? No. We’re here to rescue a group of people.” Grace choked the words out. Her mouth and throat were beyond dry. 

“Yeah, we know. We called that in.” Grace looked up at the woman. She was easily Grace’s age, long, dirty blonde hair. She wore a green jacket with a hood pulled up over her greasy hair. The woman was missing a couple of teeth. She was extremely dirty. She just squatted next to Grace, holding that water bottle in plain view. A young boy bounced into view. 

“Ma! It’s time to eat!” And he bounced joyfully away, out of the building. Grace could smell something cooking over a fire. That scent. She knew it. The aroma was distinct. 

“You hungry, girl? We got a treat tonight.” The woman laughed a deep, hearty laugh. She stood up and walked away, somewhere outside. Fucking skinners. Grace felt her whole body begin to tremble. What was cooking? Who? Grace looked across the room at the still Ranger laying on the floor. Grace clicked her tongue three times. The figure stirred slightly. 

“Hey!” Grace hissed, trying to be quiet. The Ranger lifted his head under the blanket, but Grace couldn’t see who it was. “Sound off!” She whispered through her teeth. 

“Ruiz.” Oh thank the gods, Grace thought. 

“Do you have a boot knife?” She asked, looking at the door to see if anyone was coming. 

“No.” Ruiz was tied just as well as Grace was. She arched her back to reach her feet. She had replaced her broken boot knife that morning. She felt around the top of her right boot, just as the woman walked back into the room. She crouched down beside Grace. The woman brandished the knife in front of her. There was a pink piece of meat skewered on the blade. 

“Looking for this?” The woman cackled. Grace had never felt so fucked in her whole life. She and Ruiz had just become part of the meal plan. 

“We have food. In the trucks. We brought it for you.” Grace began bargaining. 

“Yeah, we got that. And thanks for the trucks. We should’ve been calling you soldiers out more often. Ya’ll have everything. Weapons, food, vehicles.” 

Grace was so thirsty. She would be damned if she asked this woman for anything else. She needed to find a way to get free. She began struggling against the ties again, determined to get a hand out. The woman stood up and Grace felt the boot contact her forehead. She fell backward into the dark once more as her consciousness slipped away. 

The bay doors at the east tunnel never opened back up, despite the fact that it was well after dark. Dani paced back and forth from her office to Lloyd’s desk. She walked around the common area. She began to feel terror take up residence in her body. She checked with Lloyd several times again, looking for the group of Rangers anywhere on the map. There was just nothing. The group of survivors weren’t showing up on the radar anymore. It was as if everyone just disappeared. Occasionally, there would be a brief blip on the map, but it was gone as quickly as it arrived. Lloyd suggested they probably took refuge in the ruins during the storm and it just got too dark to move. Dani wanted to believe that, but she knew something was very wrong. She’d give it another hour for someone to radio in and tell her they were ok. That Grace was ok. 

The Rangers never radioed in. An hour later, Dani ordered Lloyd to call Hadrell and get some aircraft to her right then. She was going out after them. Lloyd cautioned her against going out at night. The glow of the ion drive engines would be immediate targets for Legion. Dani did not care. Her partner was out there and she hadn’t heard anything since they left that morning. 

Commander Ramos walked and ran down to the armory. She put on her gear, which looked brand new. She cursed herself for not going out on missions that much. She was ready though. She found her Equalizer, checked the magazine, grabbed extra ammo, and headed back to the command center. Lloyd had contacted Hadrell, and he was on his way, armed for bear. His ETA was 15 minutes. Dani was impatient. Every minute Grace was out there was an eternity for Dani. She waited in the south tunnel for Hadrell to arrive. No one could move her. Nothing could shake her. 

Ruiz tried to get Grace to wake up several times. The woman had removed the cloth from over his head. He could make out Grace’s shape in the darkness. Whoever these people were, they were gathered outside around a firepit. They were cooking something to eat. It actually smelled pretty good, if Ruiz was honest. “Grace!” he hissed through his teeth. She did not move. Ruiz couldn’t be sure she was alive. Daniels, Baxendale, and James were nowhere to be found. Ruiz rested his face on the concrete. It was starting to get really cold out. He felt his body shiver on the freezing cement. He heard Grace groan softly, shifting her head in his direction. “Grace, wake up!” He whispered loudly. His voice echoed in the chamber. He looked around to see if he’d been heard. The people outside were talking softly, laughing. They hadn’t noticed. Grace opened her eyes and looked at Ruiz. The room spun around and around. She tasted blood. She lifted her head and looked at the concrete under her head, seeing blood everywhere. The woman had kicked her right in the face. Grace thought her nose might be broken again. She couldn’t breathe out of it, at any rate. 

“We’re not getting out of here, Ruiz. These people mean to kill us and eat us.” 

“Shit. Skinners.” Ruiz banged his head on the cement, upset and scared. He’d give his right arm to them for a knife right now. 

“Yeah. Where are the others?” Grace tried to relax into her fate. Dani would realize by now they weren’t coming back. Grace hoped Dani wouldn’t let it wait till morning. Her head was pounding. She was severely dehydrated from her hangover. The sand storm had sucked out even more precious moisture from her. Ruiz did not know where anyone else was. He saw Baxendale fall in the park. He said there had been something shoved over his head from behind, like a sack or a blanket. He never saw it coming. 

It seemed like hours later, Grace woke up again. She didn’t even realize she’d fallen asleep. It was completely dark in the room. She couldn’t see firelight outside. She could hear Ruiz snoring in the corner. Her entire body was shivering. She did everything she could to bring her senses back to center. She let her fingers feel the type of rope securing her. Paracord, nylon, tough. The more she struggled, the tighter it got. She could feel her pulse pounding in her fingertips. The rope was cutting off circulation. She reached down to feel the ropes tied over her boots. She’d found her escape route. If she could get her feet out of the boots, she’d be free. Grace arched her back, into a most uncomfortable position. She was grateful to be as lanky as she was. Her long arms began working the laces of her boots, as she tried to give herself any kind of leeway to get free. She worked the boot down as far as she could. Fuck, it was tight. She wasn’t sure she could get it off. She used every bit of strength she had to slip her foot out. With one strong pull, Grace felt her shoulders being separated from the sockets. She bit her bottom lip, sending her teeth right through the inside of it. And her left foot was free. It flailed, rocketing down against the concrete. The impact smashed her toes. She hadn’t been ready for it. Again, Grace arched her back painfully, grabbing her right boot, unlacing it, and twisting and pulling and finally, free! She stopped it from smashing against the cement. She managed to push herself up to her knees and sit down on her ass. Her hands were still behind her. Her shoulders hurt. Grace drew her knees up to her chest, moved her hands under her ass, looped them under her feet, and suddenly her hands were tied in front of her. Better, she thought. She couldn’t see anything in the darkness. She just needed to get Ruiz upright and free. She crawled across the floor, careful not to alert anyone around her. She heard several boot falls heading right toward her and a heavy foot caught her in the middle of the back, kicking her straight down. The force knocked the wind out of her, shocking her completely. Someone had been watching her. 

“Stay down, stupid!” The man barked. Grace had about one second to decide what to do. Ruiz had watched the whole thing and tried to roll toward the man, causing a distraction. Grace got up to her feet, still sucking wind, and positioned herself behind the man as he turned to face Ruiz. 

“Hey.” Grace whispered. The man turned to look at her and she reached up, fast as lightning, grabbed his collar and slammed her forehead into his nose. She felt the spatter of blood explode from his face. She watched him reel and fall back, landing on top of Ruiz. Grace began stomping him with bare feet. She had to do whatever she could to make sure he didn’t get back up. She dropped all of her weight down into his ribs with her knee. She grabbed two hands full of nasty hair and began to slam the man’s face down into the concrete until he stopped moving altogether. The noise had alerted the others. Grace had seen a gun on his belt earlier. She reached for it, pulled the slide back and began unloading on the figures filing through the door. She took down at least three adults with head shots. She felt Ruiz sit up beside her. “There’s a knife in his belt, Amador. Cut loose.” 

Grace backed them against the wall. The woman and the kid were still out there. A shot rang out and ricocheted off the wall beside Grace’s head. She ducked down to the ground, watching the woman run right at her. Grace fired the gun once, hitting the woman in the shoulder. The woman fell down against the wall opposite of her and Ruiz. They had guns drawn and trained on each other. Grace knew if she pulled the trigger, she was also as good as dead. The woman laughed. “Looks like we got ourselves a standoff, girl. You killed my husband and my brothers. I’m going to eat your brain for breakfast, you fucking cunt!” 

“Try it.” Grace hissed. She readjusted her grip on the pistol, waiting for her chance. The roar of engines overhead distracted the woman and Grace both. “HK. Looks like we’re all dead, lady.” 

“That’s not a fucking machine, you idiot. That looks like your friends.” The woman kept her focus on Grace. “Boy, you out there?” 

“Yeah, ma. I’m here.” Grace couldn’t see him. 

“Shoot to kill, son.” In the light of the engines, Grace could see the skinner woman smile at her. Grace heard Hadrell yelling an order to spread out. Then she heard something that scared her even more. She heard Dani’s voice ordering a soldier to stay by her. Fuck. As if this whole situation couldn’t get worse. Grace decided to go ahead and shoot the woman where she sat. She wasn’t risking Dani’s life. Grace pulled the trigger and heard an unsatisfying click. Empty. The woman pulled the hammer back on her pistol and moved to fire at Grace. The blonde warrior threw the pistol straight at the woman’s face, hitting her in the throat. It gave her enough time to lunge forward and wrestle the gun away from the woman. Grace lost control, pounding the woman’s wrist against the floor until she lost the pistol in the dark. Then, Grace straddled her, put her hands around the woman’s throat and started choking her. Grace pounded the woman’s head back against the floor repeatedly. She did not stop. 

Grace might have heard a gunshot outside the building. She heard a boy cry out and Hadrell began to give chase. Grace continued her assault on the skinner. It took both Dani and Ruiz to pull her off. Grace was screaming into the dead woman’s face with every breath she drew. Grace was trapped in a flashback. Dani knew it all too well. Even with her hands bound tightly, Grace was incredibly strong, Dani realized. She pulled Grace backward, against her. She whispered into Grace’s ear, urging her to wake up, to stop. Ruiz had cut himself free and was pressing his own mass against Grace, trying to calm her down and ground her. If the machines heard them, they’d be dead in minutes. Dani pulled Grace’s head back against her shoulder, speaking rapid Spanish. She was cursing more than anything, begging Grace to be quiet. Finally, Grace’s screams turned to heavy sobs, and then into breathless gasps. The soldiers managed to get her up and walking to the transport. It was a Dragonfly from Hadrell’s arsenal. 

As they reached the transport, Grace saw the boy some ten feet away. His jaw looked dislocated. Someone had hit him hard. He was no older than her brother when he disappeared into a group much like this. Grace reached for Hadrell’s pistol and shot the boy in the head without hesitation. It was closure for her brother, and mercy for the boy. 

Dani pulled her up into the transport and told her to sit. Dani strapped Grace into the seat, gently taking the gun away from her partner. Grace wasn’t there. She was lost somewhere in her own tortured past. Dani could see it, feel it, and even understand it. She never blinked an eye when Grace killed the kid. She knew the truth. That boy, even if he didn’t look like Grace’s brother, had been forever changed by eating human flesh. He’d never recover. Better to die than live a life like that, Dani thought. She sat beside Grace, holding her by the back of the neck as the Dragonfly took them back to Anaheim.


	11. First Watch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Welcome me to the city of angels,  
> there's a devil monkey laying on our backs.  
> Where's the heart, where's the bullet for breaking.  
> Somebody give me a weapon,  
> a pacifying weapon.” 
> 
> -Amy Ray

Dani and Ruiz helped Grace into the triage area in the loading bay. Her face was covered in blood. Dani couldn’t even tell where half of it was coming from. Certainly, it wasn’t all Grace’s own. Maybe it was. The blonde soldier had killed six people, two with her bare hands. Ruiz recounted how Grace had taken down the full-grown man while her hands were bound. Dani had watched Grace slaughter the woman. Commander Ramos regretted letting that last hour go by before she called Hadrell’s team in. If she’d been moments sooner, she could have spared three lives maybe. Perhaps she could have spared Grace those moments of horror and violence. 

Grace seemed okay, despite her injuries. She was calm by the time they got back home. She complained of a headache and was really thirsty. Owens arrived with water. Grace held the plastic bottle to her lips and sucked it down in one breath. Owens tried to warn her to take it easy, afraid that Grace would get sick. Grace couldn’t be bothered. She asked for more water. Dani handed Grace her personal canteen, which the blonde warrior took and began to empty. Dani placed her hands over Grace’s, gently pulling the canteen away from her mouth. “Easy, Grace. Slow.” Dani’s tone was so soft. It was the voice that she used when she and Grace were alone together. She just needed the blonde to stay with her. She understood that Grace could be extremely volatile after what happened. Owens decided to take Grace to the infirmary, to clean her up and reassess her wounds. She did not think that Grace was seriously injured, other than a broken nose and a slight concussion. Grace acquiesced and went with Owens. Ruiz and Dani remained behind momentarily with Hadrell to discuss what happened. 

“We were ambushed, Commander. Skinners laid a trap for us. They knew before we even left the base.” Ruiz felt like an idiot for not being more cautious about new people. Dani felt worse for having known it all along. She didn’t like the idea of sending them out that close to Legion’s new operation. No one was perfect, though, and Dani decided to forgive herself. The killing of that many human beings, cannibals or not, was harder to rationalize. She forgave Grace, since the circumstances were life or death. This was a war. Certain losses were acceptable, Dani told herself. The cost to Grace, however, left Dani cold to the core. The blonde warrior had destroyed that woman. She did it screaming. Dani remember being choked the same way. She knew where Grace’s mind went in that moment. Despite the medications that Anne Morris had given Grace, Dani worried that she would slip back into the violent, terrifying cycle of PTSD. 

Dani asked about the other three Rangers, Daniels, Baxendale, and James. Ruiz wasn’t sure, other than seeing Baxendale killed in the park. He was pretty sure one of the others was dinner for the cannibal family. The other was unaccounted for. Commander Ramos offered her condolences on the loss. She’d only known Daniels personally. She knew the list of fallen Rangers was getting long for Grace and Ruiz to recite. 

In the infirmary, Owens checked Grace over. She lifted the blonde’s t-shirt to check her back where Grace said the man stomped on her. There was a faint outline of a boot, which would be a purple bruise by morning. Owens felt around, but nothing seemed out of place. The place on the back of Grace’s head was swollen and split, but Owens glued it back together. She offered Grace an ice pack. The bridge of Grace’s nose was split open again. Owens took her nose in both hands and reset it. Grace howled right as Dani walked in. Grace’s eyes watered and her nose bled again. Owens handed her a towel which Grace held up to her face. Dani stood behind Owens, arms crossed, studying her partner. Grace was lethal, even as a mere mortal. Dani took a moment to remember how skilled and fearless she was as an augment. She could suddenly see where it all came from. 

Grace could see the worry and concern plastered all over Dani’s face. “I’m alright. Just a little banged up.” The loss of life on this mission was too much for Dani. Grace nearly lost her own life again. It was too close for Dani’s liking. 

“You don’t go out again. Not without me watching your back.” Dani’s voice was thick with the Spanish accent. Her attitude exuded strength and bravery. 

“Dani, you can’t do that. You can’t risk yourself just to protect me.” 

“Grace, without you, there will be no me. You know that.” Dani took a step forward toward the blonde. She lifted the towel from Grace’s face, checking her nose for more bleeding. Dani dabbed at the warrior’s upper lip, wiping away blood and sand. Dani looked down into Grace’s eyes, seeing something the blonde needed. Dani put the towel back into the soldier’s hands. “Talk to me, my love.” 

Dani sat down on the hospital bed beside Grace, hands folded in her lap. “You know, when I saw the kid in the park, for about two seconds I thought it could’ve been my brother. Same age, height, weight. It took me back a way. Then I heard gunshots. As soon as I turned around, lights out. I woke up right as the storm hit. I was scared. I was tied, and I couldn’t breathe.” Dani looked at Grace, but she was far away already, reliving the experience. Dani knew this wasn’t something Grace often got to do, but knew that it would help her process it. Anything was better than it turning into a nightmare. “That woman. She reminded me of a hundred others just like her. Almost in charge of skinner groups. All inbred and sick. I could smell her breath. The smell of that cook fire was too much. I remembered.” Dani watched Grace fight back the emotion associated with having to eat human flesh to survive. Owens stood in the background, watching carefully, in case the blonde lost her footing in reality. She’d seen this type of emotional trauma before. Dani reached for Grace’s free hand. She laced her fingers with her partner’s, squeezing softly. “I damn near pulled my shoulders out trying to get my boots off. I was just trying to get to Ruiz when that asshole kicked me. I didn’t even have time to think. I just stood up and took him down." Grace dropped the towel to reach up and trace her fingers over the place where her forehead smashed his nose. There was a bruise there that she could feel. “And I just kept kicking him until I started bashing his head in. I shot the others. That was easy. It was dark. They might not have been people at all. Maybe machines.” Grace said this, knowing those three kills were something she could live with, given the level of doubt. “But that woman. I heard your voice outside. I knew she’d kill you if she got the chance. So, I didn’t let her have it. It was that simple for me. That’s the last thing I remember before the kid.” Grace’s voice trailed off, and Dani could see her get lost in the memory. 

“You were somewhere else, Grace. Somewhere bad. I don’t know everything that happened to you before I found you. I just know it was bad.” Dani’s consolation was weak. Grace hung her head and let her emotions take over. Dani rubbed her back, and just let her cry. “It’s okay. Let it go.” Dani just sat with her. She looked up at Owens one time, who was standing there, wiping away her own tears. 

“I spent so much time looking for my brother. I joined group after group, hoping I’d find him again. I always knew he was dead after that first night. But I had to keep looking. I should have stopped. I might not have had to go through all of that if I’d just let him go.” Grace’s body shook. The weight of her past was crushing her. Dani couldn’t do anything to take that pain from her. 

“You did everything you could, Grace. You were a child, alone. What could you have done? You couldn’t even protect yourself. It wasn’t your fault.” Dani whispered, trying to sooth her partner. 

“I know. I just wish it felt different. It’s like something triggers it, and I’m right back in those moments.” 

“That’s the PTSD, Harper. We can help with that. Anne Morris contacted me when you first arrived here. She gave me a list of things that will help you, if you want them.” Owens chimed in. Dani looked up at the medic, thankful and also a little annoyed that she didn’t know about this. 

Grace nodded her head, knowing what was best for her. Remembering the night she hurt Dani was enough for her to let go of her own stubbornness. “Thanks, Owens. I’d like to do that tonight if I can.” Owens dropped the stack of clean towels she was holding and went back to her office. Dani watched her pick up a list and go back to the small pharmacy. 

“Dani, I killed six people tonight, including a little boy.” Grace counted the cost of the trap. “We should have never gone out there. I should have listened to you. But I was so gung ho about helping people.” 

“Grace, you couldn’t have known. None of us could have. Next time, we go out with more people, and more firepower. Every time, from now on. I’m just glad you came back alive. I was so worried about you.” 

Grace turned to look at Dani right then. Grace always felt welcome in those deep brown eyes. She felt the love pour forth from Dani’s stare. “I knew you’d come for me.” Grace bent her neck, lowering her head, not to kiss Dani, but to rest her chin on the Commander’s shoulder. “I knew you’d be there.” Grace whispered. She felt Dani’s arms encircle her, holding her gently, careful not to touch the size 10 bruise in the center of the blonde’s back. 

“I’ll find you every time, amor.” 

Owens approached with several pill bottles, a vial of fluid, and a needle. “Ok, soldier. It’s a lot, but it’s going to help a lot. When was the last time you ate something?” Grace shrugged. She couldn’t remember eating anything but sand that day. “Okay, I’ve got some crackers here and water. You just need something in your stomach with all this. If you had the same morning I had, food didn’t sound good till dinnertime.” Owens managed a laugh, sharing a subtle hangover story. 

“I threw up everything I’d eaten since kindergarten, Owens.” Grace laughed a little. Dani could see the effort Grace was making to recover from this. 

“You should’ve heard it, Owens. Sounded like she swallowed a Buick.” Dani added, teasing her partner. 

The three women laughed together, determined to feel a shred of joy in the wake of a terrifying specter. 

Grace was released after two injections and a handful of pills. Owens instructed her to come back if she had any adverse reactions. Otherwise, she needed to come back tomorrow night to continue the doses. Dani stopped over at the command station, noting that Lloyd had finally gone home. She took a report from another tech, who assured her that everything was quiet. She looked up at the clock. 0121. Time for bed. 

She held Grace’s hand, leading her down the curvature of the hallway. Outside their room, Grace stopped suddenly. She was scared. “Dani, what if I …" She was referring to having a horrific nightmare and was apprehensive about spending the night with Dani. 

“If you do, I’ll run. I’ll get help. Just like last time.” Dani knew she couldn’t actually promise that. She knew how strong and fast Grace was, especially inside the confines of her trauma. “Grace,” Dani realized she never even considered it. “Do you want to be alone tonight?” 

Grace gazed down at the perfection of Daniella Ramos; the greatest gift ever given to her. “I’m just afraid you won’t be safe with me. I don’t want to be anywhere you’re not, amada.” She felt Dani press her whole body against her. Grace wrapped gentle arms around her. Dani looked up into those absolutely loving pools of blue. 

“Let’s go inside. You need a shower.” Dani turned the doorknob from behind her. She pulled Grace inside and shut the door. 

She helped Grace get out of her armor. She also helped Grace get out of her dirty, blood-crusted uniform. She basically stripped Grace naked. She led the blonde to the bathroom, turned the shower on hot. Grace had been shivering since they got back. As Dani messed with the temperature, she could hear the sink running. She turned around to see Grace with her head stuck under the water, drinking heavily. Dani gently ordered her to get in and get clean. While Grace was doing that, Dani ran down to the mess hall to see what kind of meal she could scrounge up. She hadn’t eaten anything all day either, and those infirmary crackers were looking pretty good. 

She managed a bowl of stew, made with the leftover steak meat. There were bread rolls, a la Stacy Lewis’s master recipe. Dani pocketed some bottles of juice and some water for Grace. She’d need everything she could get. 

Grace was out of the shower by the time Dani arrived with dinner. Grace was sitting on the side of the bed, in nothing but red boxer briefs. Dani stopped to admire the blonde warrior’s body. She let her eyes trail over every bruise, scar, muscle, tendon, realizing how in love with Grace she really was. Grace would give it all up for her in a heartbeat. That was something Dani knew deeply. Grace’s nose had been bleeding again. She held a towel up to her nose. Dani set the stew down on the bedside table and placed herself between Grace’s legs. She looked down at the blonde, pulled the towel away, and waited to see if it was done bleeding. “I can have Owens cauterize that for you.” 

“It’s fine.” Gods, but she was stubborn. Dani shook her head and pointed to the meal. 

“Eat, Lieutenant.” Commander Ramos wasn’t kidding. Grace needed food. 

“Yes, ma’am.” Grace pulled a bowl into her lap and ate. She made growling noises and dipped the bread into the broth. Dani loved watching her just be Grace. She was always moved and amazed by the warrior. When Grace finished, Dani pulled a t-shirt on over her head. She pulled the blankets and sheets back for Grace to lay down. 

“Sleep, lover. I’ll take the first watch.” Dani picked up the second bowl of stew and ate in the light of the bathroom as Grace settled down for the night. After only a few minutes, she could hear Grace’s breathing grow deeper, more relaxed. Dani began to relax, feeling sleepy from the soup and bread. She stripped herself down to her underwear and slipped into bed next to Grace. She felt a warm hand cross her belly, gently moving upward to take hold of one of her breasts. She never knew if Grace did this consciously, or if she was still asleep. Dani laid on her back, guiding the blonde warrior to take her place against the Commander’s strong chest. Dani would give anything, including her own life, for this woman.


	12. Fate's Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are we ashamed of our own fate   
> Or play the fool for our own sake   
> Tell me who's behind the rain 
> 
> What do we need where do we go   
> When we get where we don't know   
> Why should we doubt the virgin white   
> of fallen snow   
> When faith's our shelter from the cold.” 
> 
> -Skid Row

Commander Ramos ordered the immediate destruction of the time displacement chamber at Cheyenne Mountain, finished or not. Captain Hadrell had assured her that according to intelligence reports, the machine had never worked. Dani did not care. She would not leave it up to chance and risk letting Legion get a hold of the technology. That was the last thing anyone needed. Dani was grasping at straws, trying desperately to find a way to keep Grace with her, in this time, while ensuring the survival of the human race. Two pieces of the puzzle had still not been put into place. Grace remained completely human, and Legion had not yet fixed their power source or found a way to make the TDC function properly. Dani couldn’t rest on her laurels, however. She needed to be proactive and take every measure available to stop Legion before it got started again. Yes, she had left the pathway open to Grace becoming an augment in an emergency. That was a last resort, though, and Dani tried to tell herself there was still a possibility of changing everything. She believed that just knowing what was going to happen was enough to change their fate. 

The order to abandon Cheyenne Mountain came early in the morning. Dani stood in the command center, with a full tech crew, calling the shot. She ordered all personnel to seek refuge at surrounding Resistance bases for the time being. The Cheyenne Mountain bunker was practically indestructible. Dani settled for caving in the surrounding granite. She called Dane Lewis to the command center and put him in charge of the logistics of the order. If anyone could take down an entire mountain, it would be him. Dane got on the radio with everyone from Rifle to Highgate to Cheyenne Mountain to work out the details. 

Radio transmissions and communications with other Resistance outposts had become more sporadic. The news coming in became less and less. Once, the Resistance had been a major network of human resilience and strength. For years, it seemed that humanity would actually come out on top. The destruction of most of the Legion manufacturing plants showed the cunning of humans. A Resistance soldier had discovered a signal that could cripple the machines. The Resistance used the signal to disable many of Legion’s minions; that is, until Legion changed its code to resist the radio waves. It was fair to say that Legion had suffered equal losses at the hands of humans. Pockets of fighting continued here and there. The world was burnt. Dani couldn’t figure out one thing: why? What did Legion profit from the destruction of humanity? It wasn’t like the machines needed a perfect, green planet to survive. They did not need to eat, sleep, love, or have a future. Once Legion’s purpose was fulfilled by laying humanity to waste, what was its mission? Being the dominant species on a planet where nothing was left seemed pointless. But Dani was not a machine. She could not understand Legion’s mind. It just seemed like a very lonely and pointless existence. What would the machines do once they steam rolled the last vestiges of human existence? Would they build their own world? Dani could only imagine it. Cities for machines. Would Legion eventually evolve to need things like supermarkets, car dealerships, day care facilities? She projected the theory far into the future, wondering if Legion could be like Carl. Once his mission was finished, and his future no longer existed, Carl gave himself a new purpose taking care of his family. He grew the equivalent of a conscience. And he almost felt love. Could a network of machines evolve to what? Become more human? Was this the next phase of humanity? Legion learned everything it knew from people. Why would it not utilize that history to dictate its own future? Humans, for as long as Legion existed, tried to destroy the AI. Legion would only ever see humanity as a threat. With people long gone, Legion would be free to pursue its own mission. Dani had a hard time wrapping her head around it. 

She suddenly remembered what Hadrell had told her days ago. The TDC at Cheyenne Mountain had been built before the war. That meant that humans were on their way to solving the riddle of time travel. Dani wondered if this timeline was predestined and nothing could change it, could she change the next iteration? If the machines made the time machine work, could she send Grace back, armed with the information to create time travel before Judgement Day? Why would that even make sense, Dani wondered? The time displacement chambers needed to be destroyed. Having even one of them was like having the Midas touch. Dani would believe that she could make everything right and Grace might have a way to return to her. Unfortunately, having Grace deviate from her mission would increase the odds that Dani’s past self would not survive. If the time loop was solid, unchangeable, then even going back with information about how to finish the device would not work. The device had never worked before Judgement Day. They would be stuck in an infinite loop trying to fix something and experiencing every possible outcome except the one they wanted most. Perhaps this loop was no different. There were no guarantees that Grace going back in time would solve anything beyond a certain point. Maybe Judgement Day always happened, and Grace always went back. 

Lloyd brought her back to the present. Dani shook off the daydream and focused her attention on the screen in front of Lloyd. There was a green line on the radar screen, connecting LAX to something close to the coast. Legion had regained its power supply at another plant. The only other power plant in the area capable of producing that much energy was in El Segundo. They had celebrated too soon. Now, they had to go back out and take out another power plant, risking more lives in the process. Dani was getting sick of fighting the machines. They never gave up. On that note, Dani swallowed her fear and weariness, and vowed to never give up for the sake of humanity. Even if it meant losing the love of her life. 

A new mission came to the forefront. Dane Lewis had been successful in destroying the first power plant. More than likely, the same types of explosives would be effective on the second one. Getting to that second power plant would be infinitely more dangerous, however. Dani knew that after having Scattergood protected by outdated terminators, Legion would not make the same mistake again. El Segundo would be heavily guarded by at least level 7 Revs. Dani Ramos was not taking Legion’s shit anymore. This would be a battle to the death, and she would be on the front lines from now on. 

It was barely 0600 hours. Commander Ramos had a lot of information to process. Dane had a lot of work to do. The destruction of Cheyenne Mountain would probably make little difference to Legion at this point. The bunker was secure against the machines, but Dani wasn’t taking any chances of the device falling into Legion’s possession, now or ever. They had a new and improved model to work on underneath the Los Angeles airport. According to the area radar, the majority of Legion’s forces were concentrated in that area. In turn, the Resistance needed to focus all of its firepower at the electric station and the airport. Those were the two top priorities. Dani let the techs work out the details with Sergeant Lewis’s help. 

Grace slept soundly throughout the entire night. She didn’t even wake up when Dani left for the morning. Commander Ramos allowed the blonde warrior to rest after her run-in with the cannibal group. She’d had the shit kicked out of her, yet again. Dani felt horrible for Grace. Her story was infinitely tragic, if the time loop held true. Grace Harper was forever on a collision course with Judgement Day, skinners, losing her family, getting beat down constantly in the Resistance, traveling through time, and always dying at the dam. Dani let her get as much rest as she could, considering the blonde’s fate. At least this time, Dani could give Grace some rest from the war wherever she could. 

Dani unlocked her door and stepped into the darkened room. She held the door open for a moment, as she took in the sight of her lover in bed. Grace had moved over to Dani’s side of the bed, clutching her pillow in her arms. Dani’s mouth curled into a smile. She regarded her partner’s form: strong shoulders, long muscular arms, the dip in her waist and gentle crest of thin hips that disappeared under the blankets. Dani watched the rise and fall of Grace’s ribs, and thought of all the human things inside of Grace at this moment. She thought of the bones that gave her partner shape, the muscles, tendons, and sinew that held it all together. She considered the organs that kept her partner alive, the strong heart that beat continuously. Dani closed her eyes, listening to the breaths Grace took. 

Dani shut the door and locked it. She moved to the bathroom and turned on the light there, shutting the door most of the way. She did not want to light up the entire room. She only wanted enough light to see Grace by. Dani took off her boots and laid them carefully beside the ones already there. She padded quietly across the room and slipped into bed beside Grace. She got close enough to smell her, feel her heat. Dani leaned down and pressed her lips against the back of the blonde’s neck. Grace gasped, inhaling sharply. Dani was familiar with that sound, knowing that Grace was waking up, returning from some far-off place clouded by medications. Dani kissed the spot a second time, letting her lover know she was not dreaming. Grace hummed pleasantly at the sensation. Dani wasn’t sure where Grace had new bruises at, other than her back and her face. She didn’t want to touch them and hurt her partner. In the dim light from the bathroom, Dani propped herself on an elbow, and traced her fingers across one shoulder. She let her fingertips move slowly down Grace’s arm, feeling every outline of the muscles beneath tight skin. Dani understood that the probability of losing this woman soon, and allowed herself to have moments like this as often as possible until that fateful day. 

Grace laid still, eyes closed, trying not to think about the pain in her face and her back. Her wrists were bruised too, but Dani’s fingers burned out every thought of pain. She just let the Commander touch her, bringing her back to full wakefulness. They didn’t get much time in the mornings together. Grace was grateful that Dani had let her rest as much as she did. Grace felt like she could have slept all day if no one had disturbed her. She felt Dani’s hand cover hers, interlacing their fingers together. Grace squeezed the careful fingers softly as Dani leaned in to kiss her neck again. Grace pushed back a little into the kiss, feeling her pulse quicken. Dani’s lips traveled up the back of Grace’s neck, down to the spot where her shoulder began. Grace felt the hand she was holding slip back up her arm, pulling at the material of her tank top, pushing it aside. The cloth was replaced with warm kisses. Grace moaned and bit her bottom lip. Dani had the ability to dampen every anxiety and fear Grace ever had, turning it into trust and a deep-seated lust. Grace felt the stretch coming on and was unable to stop it. Her muscles were tight and sore, but she hadn’t realized how much until that moment. She felt deft hands on her shoulders, kneading and pushing against every knot. Dani was careful and gentle, feeling her lover stretch out next to her. She slipped an arm under Grace’s head, pulling her back against her shoulder. Dani reached with her other hand, grasping Grace’s chin, tilting her head back and up so she could kiss her. The kiss was slow and lazy, open-mouthed, and Dani used the tip of her tongue to arouse Grace. The blonde responded, quietly moaning with each stroke of Dani’s adept tongue. Grace felt her entire body wake up. “Dani,” Grace whispered between kisses. The brunette loved hearing Grace say her name like that. It was a plea and it was a command, an assertion of belonging. 

“Grace.” Dani let go of the blonde’s chin, running her hand down her torso, finding the hem of the tank top. “Can you lay on your back?” She knew even if it hurt Grace, she would still do it. Dani leaned away to allow Grace some room to move and get comfortable. “Is it too much?” She looked down into those eyes that nearly glowed in the dark. Grace stared back and shook her head. Dani smiled and resumed the playful touches. She moved her hand up under the tank top, gently massaging the blonde’s belly. She made her way higher, grazing the underside of a breast, then the other. Grace reached down to take her shirt off. Dani helped her, pulling it off and throwing it behind her somewhere. She looked down and exhaled loudly. Grace was so beautiful, even with every battle scar and bruise. Dani lowered her head to kiss every scar she could see. From the scar on Grace’s left side to the ones dotting her chest and shoulders, Dani took her time attending to each. She kissed her way back down, finding a small pink nipple with her wet lips. Grace panted a few times at the suddenness of a warm, wet tongue on her flesh. She shivered as Dani reached cupped her breast, squeezing it, pulling it closer to her mouth. Grace arched her back, giving Dani everything she could. Dani leaned over to give the other breast the same treatment, kissing and licking the hardened bud. She ran slow circles around it before taking it fully into her mouth, sucking lightly. Dani felt hands on the buttons of her uniform shirt. She let Grace undress her as she resumed her trail of kisses back up to Grace’s jaw. She let her lips cross the big scar there before finally pressing her mouth to Grace’s. This time, it was Dani who moaned in response to the intertwining of tongues. Grace was fully awake now, and insistent. Grace pushed Dani’s work shirt down off her shoulders, and Dani did the rest. She sat up and pulled it off, along with her t-shirt and bra. She laid back and unbuttoned her pants and pulled them off as well. In nothing but her black panties, Dani shifted and rolled on top of Grace. She kept her weight on her knees, careful not to touch her partner just yet. She just gazed down at the gorgeous warrior that she loved endlessly. Grace slid her palms up Dani’s thighs, holding her hips. Dani reached down and held Grace’s hands, pulling them away from her, just holding them in hers. She rubbed the web between Grace’s thumb and forefinger, trying to tell the blonde something that words could not express. Grace seemed to understand whatever it was, responding with a knowing smile. Grace’s heart felt like it was growing exponentially with every beat. She was sure it would just explode out of her chest if she felt anything stronger for Dani. This woman had changed the entire course of her life, from being a womanizing and cold soldier, to being an emotionally strong lover of only Dani. The brunette pushed Grace’s arms back down by her head, pinning her. She let her breasts fall down against Grace’s, gently laying her weight on the blonde. She watched Grace close her eyes and exhale sharply at the sensation of their skin contact. Dani also spread her thighs more to gain contact with Grace’s hips. She was not disappointed by what she felt between her legs. Grace was definitely awake. 

The grimace that swept over Grace’s face was enough for Dani to try and pull away from her. She could not even think about causing the blonde any pain right now. Grace reached out and steadied Dani, holding her still. “It’s just my back. I can’t lay like this anymore.” Dani nodded and helped Grace to sit up. 

“We don’t have to do this, you know. Not if you’re hurting.” Dani would relent in a moment’s notice if Grace needed to stop. 

“No,” she whispered, slipping her arms around Dani’s back. “Just like this.” Dani felt Grace spread her thighs out to get leverage against the position. She let her arms fall around the blonde’s shoulders as she sank down onto the bulge between her thighs. 

“Like this?” Grace’s eyes rolled back in her head. The heat coming off of Dani was amazing, only making her harder and more randy. 

“Yeah,” was the blonde warrior’s breathless reply. Dani bent to kiss Grace’s neck, her throat, her hard shoulder. Dani raised herself up so Grace could slide her shorts down a little, exposing herself. The brunette felt the hard cock against the wet cloth of her underwear, but she didn’t want to compromise the position to take them off. 

Dani leaned in and whispered, “slide them over.” 

Grace felt herself throb. It was such a dirty move, but she loved it. She reached between Dani’s legs and moved the cotton piece gently to the side. With her other hand, Grace gently probed two fingers through Dani’s wet folds. God, she thought, this woman is so perfect. Dani was completely wet and ready for whatever Grace wanted to do to her. She sank down a little, guiding Grace to slip those two fingers inside of her. She groaned as she felt fingertips brush her g-spot over and over again. Her breathing grew faster and shallower with every pass Grace’s fingers made inside of her. She laid her head on Grace’s shoulder, feeling loved and held at the hip. “You feel so good, Daniella. You’re so tight.” Grace used her thumb to rub Dani’s swollen clit, threatening to make her come before she got a chance to really feel Grace inside of her. Dani began to gyrate against the blonde’s hand, feeling slender fingers nearly filling her. 

“Another,” Dani whispered, taunting her lover. Grace breathed out hard, feeling herself throb again at the order. She slipped a third finger up inside the wet heat, and soon they were both moaning and rocking against each other. Grace looked Dani in the eye, professing that silent love and eternal protection, even as she stretched her lover’s body beyond what was normal for them. Dani felt full now in a way that she usually didn’t. Grace’s fingers moved independently of each other, rubbing and pulling inside of her. She almost couldn’t take it anymore. She desperately wanted to feel Grace’s huge cock inside of her. “Please, Grace.” Dani was ready. 

Grace slipped her wet fingers away from Dani’s center. She drew them up to her lips, holding eye contact with the brunette, making sure she saw her slip them into her mouth, one after the next. Grace almost exploded right then. She loved the way Dani tasted. She wanted to push her onto her back and let her tongue do the rest of the work. Dani raised herself up a little, holding on to Grace’s shoulders, prompting the blonde to enter her. Grace held her shaft, guiding it to Dani’s wet, hot entrance. Dani sank down, taking the head inside her. She clenched tightly, loving Grace’s hardness and heat. Grace throbbed and moaned as Dani took her one slow inch at a time. Finally, Grace was buried fully. She held Dani’s hips, not letting her move at all for a few moments. She breathed heavily, staring into Dani’s amber eyes, as the two shared a highly lustful look. Grace grinned at her, flashing her teeth. Dani absolutely loved that look. Grace could enslave her with that smile. Their lovemaking was slow, languorous, and fluid. Their bodies were flush together, sweat and Dani’s wetness lubricating their motions. Every thrust that Grace made, Dani felt all through her body. The warrior was so gentle but her length and girth rocked Dani to her core. The curve of Grace’s cock rubbed perfectly inside of her. She clenched and released around Grace’s shaft, sucking it and holding it tightly. They climaxed together, right at the same time. As soon as Dani began to come, Grace let go, pulsating inside of her, spilling her seed for Dani. 

They spent what seemed like hours like that, touching and kissing, whispering to each other. Grace grew hard again inside Dani’s body, and they made love again when Grace pushed her onto her back. It was easily the best sex either of them could remember having together. Grace admitted it was the best she had ever had with anyone. No one affected her like Dani. The brunette asked her if she believed in soulmates. Grace wasn’t sure what any of that meant, but offered the explanation that their fates were bound together forever; that fate had been kind to them with the gift of each other. 

Dani ran her fingers through the soft, blonde hair, watching her lover’s face change as she pulled it back gently. She sighed heavily. Grace looked at her, concerned. “What is it?” 

Dani swallowed hard, not wanting to ruin this perfect moment. However, they could not turn their backs on time. “We have to go out again.”


	13. The Anaheim Project

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “They get you ready to fight  
> The fuse is ready to blow  
> You shoot to kill on sight  
> They call you G I Joe  
> You never wanted to stop  
> The smell of burning flesh  
> The hero marches alone  
> Across the highway of death 
> 
> It's not a matter of rights  
> It's just a matter of war  
> Don't have a reason to fight  
> They never had one before  
> You're just a killing machine  
> He's come to take you down  
> We take the gas that we need  
> And pump the blood on the ground.” 
> 
> -Ministry
> 
> I tried to fix my blatant plagiarism of this chapter. Sorry.

Sergeant Dane Lewis ordered Huck to fly back from Highgate with a special package. His knowledge of explosives was unmatched in the years after Judgement Day. His access to certain chemicals and compounds at Highgate made his weapons even more terrifying and destructive. Dane was proud of his work, and he had every right to be. His HK Killers at Rock Springs, WY, were just the tip of the terror iceberg. He often recalled those early years after his parents disappeared. He was making napalm and nitroglycerin at home. His skills escalated into manufacturing something even deadlier. It was a cross between the two explosives, and packed a punch ten times harder than both combined. He swore he’d never reveal the recipe as long as he was still alive. He liked being indispensable. He wrote the formula down and hid it in a safe in his room at Highgate. He needed it today. Dane radioed the combination to the safe to Huck, and told him to get as much of each ingredient as he could. He cautioned the young Ranger not to mix them or put them too close together during transport. He told Huck to hurry. 

Huck was about 9 hours out. It would take him a little time, with the help of Anne Morris, to gather everything. He was a Scorpion pilot, so he could leave as soon as he was ready. Morris would be coming with him as an advisor to the Resistance. She said she had a bad feeling that this mission was going to turn into a major event. 

Dani called all the techs together for a meeting in the command station. She advised everyone to stay on top of the radars and infrared. She needed to know Legion’s every move right now. The TDC below the airport had come back online in the middle of the night while she was asleep. Lloyd Lloyd failed to wake her up. He rationalized it by saying the TDC was only on for a few moments before going out again. Dani warned him that it would only take a moment to send a Rev or several Revs back through time. All Legion needed was a window. After chastising Lloyd in front of everyone, she pulled up a chair to sit with him, watching and waiting. 

Grace swallowed all of her physical pain and gathered the best of her Rangers. Ruiz, Grace, and a handful of newbies were the best she could do. Lieutenant Harper requested that Commander Ramos call in Hadrell’s team for this particular venture. Grace really missed Henry and Vanda during times like this. She could count on them to have her back. The Commander decided that bringing in another team was a good idea. She called Hadrell and informed him of their intentions, as soon as Dane Lewis was ready to go. She ordered a team of hardened battle junkies. She told him she didn’t want his finest. She wanted the dirtiest fighters, the ones not afraid to break ranks and disobey orders. Dani just wanted a mean team out there, ready for anything, in case it turned into a straight-out brawl. The Anaheim base was home to 400 people, but most of them were civilians, repair personnel, and techs. Dani had lost most of her infantry in the last three years. She’d been afraid to send many of the new boots out in the field. Even with Grace leading the charge, those new recruits just were not prepared for the blood and ash. She realized her mistake that day, when Grace was a few soldiers short of having a full Ranger division. At least with Captain Hadrell, Grace’s team stood a chance of success. Plus, Dani thought, she’d be going out with them. Dani was seasoned as well as any of them. She was an excellent combat soldier, and she was fearless. Of course, the idea of her going out on this mission had sent Grace into a bit of a tailspin. She told Grace she didn’t need to be distracted from this mission, so she’d better find a way to reconcile the fact that Dani was coming too. 

Dani retreated to her office for a bit to clear her head. She thought about pouring herself a drink to calm her nerves. She thought about all the things Grace from the past had told her about the future. She never told her anything about Highgate or anything after that point, up until her augmentation. This was all new and harrowing to Dani. All she knew was what was happening out there right now. She knew she needed to get out there and kick Legion back into its shipping box. El Segundo was no further from LAX than Scattergood was. The only thing was, El Segundo was crawling with machines now. As soon as Huck arrived, Dane would produce some effective weapons against Legion. Dani was glad the kid was on their side. Stacy had warned him against going out with them, but Dani was pretty sure Dane would find a way to go with them. She knew he would be risking his life to an even greater degree than anyone else. She also knew no one else would know how to handle his explosives like he did. He could write instructions and show everyone what to do, but in the heat of battle, Dani had guns, not bombers. She made a decision that if Dane wanted to go out with them, she would not stop him. She’d look the other way. She suddenly felt like the worst person in the world, willing to risk the kid’s life. She would also be a distraction for Grace and even the rest of the soldiers by going out there. She was cold and indifferent to the killing of the skinner clan. She justified all of it. This was war. This world was lawless until humanity won its seat at the table again. 

Commander Ramos called this operation The Anaheim Project, encompassing everything from the bombing of Scattergood to destroying the Cheyenne Mountain bunker, to taking out the second time displacement device. They would have to move fast now. This was her one chance to change everything. She stood in front of the old tattered map on her wall, thinking about Mexico City, her father, her brother, and even their dog. She barely heard the knock on her door. “Enter!” She yelled without even turning around. 

“Hey.” The soft voice of her partner was disarming. Dani turned around to see Grace in her full uniform. She looked sharp, sharper if she’d use a comb. Dani smiled and laughed. Grace looked down at herself in the clean, pressed uniform. 

“What? Do I look funny?” 

Dani crossed her office to stand nearer to Grace. “No, amor. I just love you very much.” The blonde bent to kiss the Commander quickly. 

“Hadrell is here. Huck is about two hours out. Do you want to roll at night? Or maybe wait until morning when we can see what we’re doing?” Grace was her counsel, and made a very good point. Most night ops were disallowed years ago due to the higher Legion presence after dark. Grace watched Dani ponder the options. 

“Let me go meet Hadrell. I’ll let you know. Who did you find for your team?” 

“Me, Ruiz, two kids from the ruins, Fredericks and Smith, two half-augments.” Grace thought about their enhancements, just legs and hands. “Mike said he’d go, but I don’t think he’s got combat experience.” 

“Ok, so six soldiers. How many did Hadrell bring?” Dani wanted to know as much as she could going into the meeting. 

“Fifteen. And they look pretty sketchy, Dani.” Grace raised an eyebrow at the Commander. 

“Good. That’s just what I asked for.” She led Grace out of her office down to the common area to meet with William Hadrell. 

Plans were laid out on tables. Maps were drawn up. Voices were hushed, as if Legion were already listening. Grace stood behind Fredericks and Smith, wondering if she couldn’t get a few more soldiers ready to go. She excused herself from the meeting and ran down to the training area. Most of the augments were in various stages of healing from injuries. She stood up on a table to the rear of the open space and announced her intentions. “I need volunteers!” Every head in the area turned to her. Grace explained in her most commanding tone that this power plant needed to come down, and the Resistance needed every hand on deck to ensure a victorious outcome. She asked for soldiers who could shoot straight and weren’t afraid to die. In the end, Grace Harper recruited 20 of 30 souls to join her. She ordered them to the armory to gear up. They’d probably be leaving after dark from the south tunnel. 

The news came in just before 1700 hours. Huck’s aircraft had encountered a squadron of HKs over Salt Lake City, Utah. In his effort to outmaneuver them, some of the onboard cargo caught fire. The resulting explosion killed everyone onboard, including Huck and Anne Morris. As Lloyd Lloyd delivered the message, Dani sank down into his chair behind his desk. “Now what?” Those explosives were key to the mission’s success. Dane Lewis stood, silent, stoic, but deeply unnerved. He’d just lost his best friend and mentor at the same time. Stacy started crying, looking around the room for anything to anchor her. Dani stood up and moved to her, allowing the girl to cling to her. Grace bit her thumbnail, trying to think of any other way this would work. At this point, with their only viable explosives being the remainder of Dane’s C4, the entire operation would consist of boots on the ground. This was far more frightening than a successful airdrop, even with Revs hot on their tails. “Okay, soldiers. This has just become a frontal assault. For those of you who were with me at The Shove, this is what we are trained to do. We go in, we fight, and we fucking win!” Dani was doing her best to be inspirational, but the truth was everyone was depending on those special weapons. She remembered the time from before when the EMPs were ruined on the cargo plane. She waited for Grace to speak up against her saying they couldn’t do it. “I’m not letting a single one of you back out of this. We need all of you to make this happen. Taking out the power plant means we are one step closer to taking out that fucking time machine and winning this war. Don’t flake out on me now.” Dani held her resolve. Hadrell seconded her words, backing her up with his usual loud vigor and spirit. 

“We are going out, right now, and we’re going to blow up that fucking power source!” Commander Ramos was mad as hell. 

“Rangers, load up!” Grace ordered, motioning for her team to follow her to the tunnel. Hadrell grouped his fighters as well, and Dani fell into the mix. 

At the loading dock, she pulled Grace aside. “This is going to be really hard for us. We need to separate our relationship from this mission, Lieutenant. I can’t have you distracted by trying to constantly watch out for me. And I can’t let myself worry about you out there. When this is all said and done, we’ll be alright. You got that, soldier?” Dani’s tone was super-cold. It made Grace’s head reel, but she understood perfectly well. 

“Yes, Commander.” Grace turned to help her team load up. Dane Lewis appeared right as they were leaving. He had no armor on, but carried a small bag with the remaining C4 bricks. 

“It isn’t much, Commander, but if I can get them placed just right, it will be enough. I need your team to lay down some excellent cover fire for me. Ruiz and I can make this all happen.” Dani looked up at the young man, searching his eyes for an answer to a question she didn’t want to ask. He probably wasn’t coming back, and he knew it. She nodded at him and bid him take his place among the infantry. 

Stacy stood in the background, shaking her head. She’d more than likely lose Dane today too. She turned around and left, not wanting to stay and watch them take off. 

The Scorpion had been repaired and was ready to go. Grace’s Rangers loaded onto it, with Dani leading the way. Hadrell’s team took Dane onboard Dragonfly 3. The sun was starting to set. The sky was a brilliant shade of orange and pink. Any other day it would have been gorgeous. Tonight, it was an ominous warning. 

The flight took less than 20 minutes. They landed a mile out from the plant. The whole area was lit up by flood lights. As Grace stepped off the aircraft, she was keenly aware of Dani’s whereabouts. No matter what Commander Ramos had ordered her to do, keep her mind clear, that was still her partner. Grace couldn’t separate that from her duty. They were one in the same. She managed to keep herself between Dani and the front line. Dani was aware of Grace’s presence, and allowed her to lead. Reprimanding her now, in the field, was not a good idea. Everyone on the team followed Hadrell, except for Dane and Ruiz. On the way in, they’d sat together, wiring explosives, looking over the map for the best place to lay it all down. In the failing light, through her night vision scope, Grace could see that the power plant here looked much like the Scattergood plant. The operation should be similar. Dane and Ruiz went forward, alone. Grace watched them jog up the beach. 

Grace’s team flanked the two men from the left. Hadrell’s team took the position on the right. They were no sooner at the compound than the Revs started coming out of the woodwork. The twilight became a chaotic blaze of bullets and shouts and screams from every direction. Grace took an unusual position tonight on point. She couldn’t see what was happening behind her, because the machines were also in front of her. They were surrounded. She opened fire on everything that moved. The Equalizer in her hands packed an effective punch on the older Revs, but the Rev-7s multiplied just like in her nightmares. There were so many of them. It felt like they were out there for hours. Grace did not have one moment to spare to look for Dani in the mess. She waited impatiently for Dane’s flare to signal that they were ready to retreat. 

Grace heard a squall behind her that sounded too familiar. She turned to see Dani at the mercy of a Rev-7 endoskeleton. She watched as the damned machine held her partner for the exeskeleton to strike her down. The spear looked like it went right through Dani’s skull. Grace screamed and ran right into the center of the problem. She fired round after round into the endoskeleton until it fell. The exoskeleton couldn’t survive without it, and it fell as well. Grace skidded on her knees across the broken concrete to where Dani lay, unconscious and bleeding heavily. “MEDIC!” Grace called out into the firefight. “MEDIC! NOW GODDAMMIT!” She reached down and examined Dani’s head in the light of the flood lamps nearby. It wasn’t a death blow, but it wasn’t a small flesh wound either. The Rev had peeled back Dani’s entire scalp on the left side of her head. Grace could see her skull shining in the flourescent lights. She carefully laid the scalp back down over the bone and pressed a hand into it. Another Rev was right on top of her. She pressed the butt of her weapon into her stomach and fired relentlessly, trying to stop the machine from coming closer and killing them both. 

Two medics arrived finally, digging through field bags to find a dressing, and portable oxygen. Grace stood up and kept watch while they worked. She saw Dane’s flare shoot up overhead. Brilliant red sparks trickled down from the heavens, telling the Resistance soldiers to get moving back to the beach. Grace turned, scooped Dani up in her arms and ran, hell bent for leather, to the first aircraft she could get to. The Dragonfly had another medic waiting there for her. She helped the unidentified woman strap Dani down to a backboard and tied it down to the base of the aircraft. Soldiers appeared all around them, stepping up beside her to get their place onboard. Grace sat directly over Dani, watching blood seep through the bandage. She felt the weight of her helmet, and released the chin strap for the ride home. Ruiz and Dane never showed up before they took off. Two minutes into the flight, Grace heard the explosions and watched the smokestacks at El Segundo collapse. She watched the unconscious form of her commander, her best friend, lover, and life partner, as a feeling of absolute dread began to fill her. 

As they approached Anaheim, the pilots relayed a message that they were being followed closely. Hadrell hung off the edge of the craft, shouting orders. “There’s a medical crew standing by for the Commander at the south tunnel! Revs are right on our asses!" 

Grace pulled the bolt back on her rifle, preparing for the worst. The Dragonfly dropped down in the landing area, too short. There was a lot of distance between them and the loading dock doors. Grace could see the doors opening up. It seemed like they were miles away. A group of Revs flew overhead, almost missing them entirely. Grace looked up, wondering when they had learned to fly. The thought was fleeting and incomplete as the ground in front of her exploded. The Dragonfly’s guns were too late to take out all of the flying bastards. The explosion sent Grace flying backward. Her helmet disappeared into the rubble. As she regained her sense of self, she watched Hadrell lead the charge against the machines, as they divided and doubled. Grace looked around. The explosion had killed most of the soldiers. The Scorpion was not anywhere around. She wondered if they’d been shot down on the way. More Revs landed. Spears appeared out of the fire and smoke, piercing soldiers who were only trying to stand up after the blast. Grace felt herself being hauled up to her feet by a brutish hand. Hadrell was in her face all of a sudden. 

“Get her inside!” He yelled, spitting in her face a little. She barely noticed, nodded and staggered over to where the medics had dropped Dani, backboard and all. One medic was left to help Grace carry her in. Hadrell’s words echoed in her head about ‘wounded precious cargo’. He couldn’t have been more accurate. The big man tried to provide cover fire for them while they hauled Dani across the vast expanse of dust and ash. A Rev-7 appeared right in front of Grace, splitting in two before she could even understand what was happening. The exoskeleton flew right at her as she took several shots, dropping the backboard. Grace dropped to the ground, continued firing, rolled in the direction of the Rev, shooting as she went. She had blown its head wide open, but it came right down on her chest, driving a spear directly through her. Grace cried out, feeling the metal alloy penetrate something deep inside of her. The sensation was hot as fire. She looked around for Dani, and saw her laying there, unprotected and unconscious. Soldiers screamed all around her. She threw off the Rev carcass, feeling some of her come with the spear as it dragged out of her body. She couldn’t think. She felt like she had been ripped apart. She just had to get to Dani. Using the butt of her rifle for support, Grace made it to her knees, crouching over the Commander’s body. Another Rev-7 was running straight for them. Grace braced herself on her knees and unloaded her Equalizer into the machine. 

It never stopped coming. Grace managed to lure it directly over top of Dani, missing her entirely. Grace’s body took the brunt of the attack. Spears entered her from every direction. It was just like her nightmare. She felt them in her arms, her legs, her chest, stomach and spine. She choked and coughed, tasting blood. She laid there for an eternity, unable to move. She couldn’t see anything but fire and Rev spears. Hands grabbed her under her arms and dragged her through the ash, underneath the bay doors of the south tunnel. Grace screamed for them to stop. She didn’t have Dani with her. She couldn’t leave her out there. 

Grace’s consciousness was fading. She was bleeding to death. The medics dropped her in a pool of someone else’s blood. The trauma medic pulled her chest armor open, cursing about multiple stab wounds. Grace recognized her voice, but even when she opened her eyes, she couldn’t focus. She could only make out the silhouette of someone hovering over her. A second medic prepared to stop the bleeding as much as he could. The female medic started to insert a chest tube. Grace pleaded with her to stop, finally realizing it was Owens crouched beside her. 

The woman’s voice was no comfort as she stated, “This is going to hurt like a motherfucker!” Grace screamed and sobbed as the sharp instrument went right through her chest. She reached up and grabbed Owens by the chest plate. 

“I have...to protect... the commander!” Grace wasn’t entirely sure where she was or who she was talking to. She was in her nightmare; the one where the Revs were killing Dani and she couldn’t get to her. 

“She's safe. Don’t worry, Grace, you’re going to make it.” 

The next words out of Grace’s mouth would seal her fate and keep the time line intact. 

“I volunteer! Make me an augment!” 

Grace felt something else cold and sharp being shoved inside her. She gasped and her consciousness was gone.


	14. The Augmentation of Grace Harper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You called me strong, you called me weak  
> But still your secrets, I will keep  
> You took for granted all the times, I never let you down  
> You stumbled in and bumped your head  
> If not for me then you'd be dead  
> I picked you up and put you back on solid ground 
> 
> If I go crazy, then will you still call me Superman?  
> If I'm alive and well, will you be there and holding my hand?  
> I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might  
> Kryptonite.” 
> 
> -3 Doors Down

Grace woke up some time later, in a hospital bed. The room was not well-lit. She didn’t feel safe where she was. Medicine was still in the Dark Ages since Judgement Day. She felt her entire body covered in something; cloth and bandages that were holding her together. Grace laid still for a few moments, assessing the damage. Her chest hurt. Her arms hurt. Her head hurt. Everything above her waist throbbed and sang with pain. Even her fingers hurt. She tried for a deep breath, but that resulted in a coughing fit that sent her pain level through the roof. Her body reacted violently, convulsing. 

A young female medic was at her side immediately, pressing a pillow into her chest, stabilizing Grace’s torso while she coughed and choked. The medic was so close, Grace could smell her skin and hair. The weight on her chest and abdomen eased the pain, until Grace could breathe again normally. She nearly passed out from the whole ordeal. 

“Just try to be calm, Lieutenant. You’re not in great shape right now.” The medic released her hold on Grace’s body, leaving the pillow in her arms in case she coughed again. Grace dropped her head back against the bed, listening to the ambient noise in the room. The beeping of machines, the hustle of medics back and forth. There were also the cries of desperate and wounded soldiers. The clatter of metal instruments against metal tables reminded Grace of how cold this room always was. It wasn’t just the temperature, it was the atmosphere of the room, stark and unloving. Grace tried to get a handle on what had happened to her. All she could remember was having a Rev-7 tackle her to the ground, stabbing her in every part of her body. That’s how it felt today. If Grace closed her eyes, she could feel every single place where a spear pierced her flesh. Except her legs. She couldn’t feel her legs. 

The young medic stood beside her, replacing a bag of clear fluid on a rack by Grace’s bed. She could see the tube running from her arm. Grace asked about the base first, if the machines had made it inside. The medic assured her everything was okay. She asked the medic about Dani, The Commander. The medic pointed to a bed across the room, where Dani lay, bandaged and still unconscious. Stacy Lewis stood at her side, holding her hand. Grace felt so far away from her and unable to get over there anyway. Dani was safe, thanks to Grace. The blonde warrior asked about the extent of her injuries. The medic looked at her, but said nothing. The look in the young woman’s eyes told Grace it was very bad. It felt as if every single one of her ribs were smashed. Her stomach hurt, deep inside her body. Breathing was a chore. She couldn’t even move to look at her lower body. For all she knew, her legs were gone. Grace had a feeling that her spine had been severed. Not only would she never fight again, Grace would never walk again. She could not let that be her fate. 

She steeled herself against the next thought in her head. She remembered screaming the words at another medic earlier. Was it Owens? She couldn’t remember to any degree of certainty. That moment had been complete chaos and fear and panic. Now, Grace was calmer, more resolute. She told the medic she wanted to start the augmentation process. The medic turned to her, trying to tell Grace about the risks of surgery. She wanted Grace to just relax for the time being, to get a better grip on the gravity of the situation. Grace was having none of it. She reminded the medic that while the Commander was out of commission, Grace was in charge. She ordered the medic to go to Dani’s office and retrieve the paperwork. The medic argued with her for another breath before Grace reached out instinctively and grabbed the girl’s arm. She was adamant about beginning the augmentation process right then and there. Arguing with Grace would get this girl nowhere. The blonde warrior tried her best not to pass out from the simple exertion of raising her arm out that far. She still had a strong grip, and she used it to punctuate her need to continue on this dangerous path. The young medic stared at Grace, realizing there would be no talking her out of it. The injuries that Grace had sustained would lead to full augmentation. The medic nodded and went to find the chief surgeon. 

The older doctor came to see Grace moments later. He looked over her chart, making mental notes of everything that would need to be fixed or replaced. He admitted that Grace was a perfect candidate for full augmentation. He would just need the Commander’s assessment of their interview in order to proceed. Grace shot the young medic a look, telling her silently to retrieve her orders from Dani’s office. The medic turned and went out. Grace explained what Dani had put in place for them, should the Commander’s ability to lead be compromised in any way. The surgeon told her as soon as he had the orders, they would proceed. Grace relaxed for a few minutes, looking across the room where Dani was laying. She felt so helpless. Everyone had hailed Grace as some big hero, but to look at Dani now, broken and unconscious, Grace did not feel like anything but a failure. At least with augmentation, she might get another chance to fight and protect Dani again. This was the only way for Grace. The medic returned with the orders. Grace watched the surgeon read over the information. He turned to regard Dani, seeing that she was in no shape to give orders. Lieutenant Harper was officially the Commander of the Resistance, at least for the next hour or so. The orders proceeded to list Captain Hadrell as next in line, in the event that Grace was incapacitated also. In the end, Grace got her wish. 

The surgeon gathered his team to prep for the surgery. There was no time to wait and do several procedures over a longer period of time. They would put her under and do everything all at once. Then they just had to hope she lived through it. 

The surgeon consulted with Stacy Lewis, directing her to stay with Grace while they prepared the operating room. Stacy looked at Grace from across the room, shaking her head in disbelief. Of all the people to augment for any reason, not Grace, the girl thought. Grace watched her shake off some invisible fear and make her way over. 

“Hey there.” Stacy said, reaching out for Grace’s hand. The blonde opened her palm to accept Stacy’s. 

“Hey. Let’s get this going, huh?” Grace felt her resolve slipping a little bit. The longer she waited, the more afraid she became. She knew the risks. She understood how invasive this procedure was, the pain associated with it for a long time afterward. Grace was more afraid now of not making it than she was of living the rest of her life as an invalid. Stacy produced a hypodermic needle from a table beside Grace’s bed. 

“This is just a sedative. It’ll calm you down but won’t put you under. Right now, is when most volunteers panic and try to back out. Are you absolutely certain you want to go through with this?” Stacy held the needle, letting Grace see it before she continued. Grace swallowed hard, choked and began coughing again. Her body seized all over. She tried to wrap her arms around the pillow to brace herself, but she was out of control of her own body. Stacy dove right in, pressing the pillow and some of her own weight against Grace’s chest, holding her down. “I’m so sorry, Grace. I can’t imagine how this must feel,” Stacy whispered as Grace began to slowly come back down. 

“Fuck it,” Grace croaked weakly, afraid now to breathe at all. “Do it.” Stacy stood up, picked the needle back up and injected the sedative into Grace’s IV line. The red head pulled up a little stool to sit beside Grace, stroking her arm, calming her as the drug began to do its job. 

“Grace, I’m going to start taking your bandages off now. I have to mark the areas we will be opening up. Stacy needed to outline where the scars would soon be all over Grace’s skin, like a patchwork quilt. Grace nodded, feeling groggy and more relaxed. She watched through sleepy eyes as Stacy began to unwrap her. Grace almost laughed, feeling like some sort of ancient Egyptian mummy. She remembered the ouroboros from the book, how the pharaohs had used the symbol to depict their immortality. It was funny how it was all coming back around to that one, simple symbol. Stacy pulled a privacy curtain around them and went to work with nothing more than a blue magic marker. Grace felt no shame about being naked with this girl. Stacy had seen her before. This time, the nightmare was real. Grace felt the cold felt tip of the marker drag along her skin, down her arms and her chest, her thighs. Stacy enlisted the other female medic to help turn Grace over so she could mark up her back, buttocks and legs. Stacy Lewis was careful, gentle, and reassured Grace every step of the way. She also told Grace, as she drew every line across the blonde’s body, what every part of the process would entail. Stacy hovered over Grace’s face, looking down into deep blue eyes. She held the blonde warrior’s cheeks in her hands, “stay with me, Grace. I want you to know something.” Stacy began to draw the crescent shaped lines under each eye. “I will be installing your heads-up display. I will also be responsible for applying the wire mesh under your skin. I will be so careful with you. I will be there every step of the way. You won’t be alone. You need to know, Grace, that you are cared for and loved beyond your understanding. Dani needs you to survive. She loves you with everything she has. I love you too, and I will care for you.” Even through the fog of the sedative, Grace felt the girl’s words in her heart. She felt hot tears in her eyes and Stacy’s thumbs wiping them away gently. Stacy Lewis bent over and kissed Grace gently, on the lips. There was no protest, no guilt. It was just a simple, chaste kiss that allowed Grace to feel human maybe for the last time in her life. 

The young female medic reappeared, placing a cap over Grace’s hair to keep it back. Grace was barely conscious when they wheeled her into the operating room. It was cold, freezing almost, and she was naked beneath a thin sheet. She felt herself begin to shiver. 

Stacy injected something else into Grace’s IV line, and the blonde felt herself slipping away at a steady clip. Someone pressed a mask over her face, and she inhaled the sweet scent of the anesthetic, taking her further down the rabbit hole. Her head rolled to the side, and she could make out the shape of the thorium reactor sitting on the table next to her. It would soon become the thing that kept her alive. She felt a warm, soft palm on her cheek, bringing her back to center. Grace heard the surgeon order a midline sternotomy with manubrial splitting. She felt the cold metal in the center of her chest as she began to fade. The last thing Grace Harper heard as a complete human being was the sound of her chest being cracked open. 

She dreamed of her brother sitting with her in the park. The sun was shining on them as children around them played. She looked at him, and he was just a small child. He pointed at something in the distance behind her. Grace turned around to look, seeing the dark storm clouds on the horizon. Her heart beat faster. She grew afraid. She turned back, and her brother was older now, by at least twenty years. He told her about what happened to him. He didn’t make it through that first night with the skinner clan. Grace cried for him. She cried for herself. She wanted to reach out and hold him, but she couldn’t move. She looked down at her lap, wondering why her body would not cooperate. She looked up again and her brother was an old man. He whispered things to her about the future. Things no one could know. He told her about the woman she would meet soon, and how to help her through the last days of the world. He told her to love the woman she herself was becoming. Grace heard her mother’s voice calling them. She turned to look for her mother, but could not see her. She turned back, and her brother was gone. Instead, she was faced with a much younger version of herself. She remembered being that small once. The little girl smiled at her, assuring her that everyone was alright, but Grace needed to keep moving, for the sake of everyone. The little girl told her that even though Dani would be remembered as the one who saved humanity, the truth was, Grace was the unsung hero. Grace heard a noise behind her, like a drill. She could smell smoke. When she turned to look at her child-self, she was gone. Dani sat there instead, begging Grace to be strong. “I need you,” was all Dani said. 

Grace opened her eyes at some point, seeing masked faces above her, diligently working. She knew where she was and what was happening. She watched a giant piece of broken bone being held up and removed from her. If Grace had to guess, she would assume it was her humerus. Stacy looked down at her. The girl held a small roll of gold-plated wire mesh, cooing gentle words of encouragement, assuring Grace that everything was going smoothly. The blonde felt the oxygen mask back over her mouth and nose; and she shifted back into darkness again. 

She did not dream this time. She just floated somewhere between here and there. It did not matter where Grace was. She didn’t care. She felt no pain, no anxiety, no panic, no fear. She wasn’t even aware of herself. Could this be death? It did not matter. Nothing mattered now. There was no augmentation, no Resistance, no machines, no Dani. It was just gentle blackness and peaceful silence. 

The distance Grace traveled through the darkness was immeasurable. When she felt her own presence again, it was like she had been in another world. Everything was still dark, calm. She felt a pressure behind where her left eye would be. She felt a strange scraping sensation in the ocular cavity. Stacy Lewis had removed Grace’s eyes to install the tech that would give her superhuman vision. Grace wanted to panic, but she could feel nothing at all but the sensation of pressure. She could hear a man’s voice talking about the spinal column being replaced and anchored to something. Anchored to her bones, Grace realized. She tried to raise her arms up, but she was just not even in her body at the moment. She swore she could hear the humming of the Spanish love song. Grace tried to hum along with it as she drifted back out. 

She had no idea how much time had passed. She felt an ache deep inside of her guts. Every muscle in her body began to wake up and hurt. She tried to open her eyes but it felt like there were thick bandages keeping them closed. Grace tried to call out for help, but her voice was lost inside her. She wasn’t even sure she was breathing on her own. She swallowed, and felt the tube in her windpipe. That’s why she couldn’t make any sounds. She could hear the faint beeping of a heart monitor growing louder as she became more aware of herself and her surroundings. Grace heard a man’s voice, far away at first. 

“She’s coming around now. “Lieutenant Harper? Can you hear me?” A moment passed before Grace understood the words being said. “Lieutenant Harper?” 

“Goddammit, her name is Grace!” The words echoed in Grace’s ears, which were able to pick up even the slightest sounds in the room. The voice penetrated her consciousness, bringing her closer to being awake. Grace felt a gentle hand on her arm. She heard the soft whisper come from someone beside her. The voice was familiar, from someone who knew her. “Grace.” The sound was drawn out, long, calling her back from a dark place she’d stayed in for too long. Grace didn’t know who she was, or where she was. “Grace. Nod if you can hear me.” She wondered if she was Grace. She had to be. The voice was calling her over and over again. The warrior nodded slightly, as much as the tube in her throat would allow. “Hang on, Grace. They’re going to remove your breathing tube. You should be able to breathe without it now. Just relax. This isn’t going to feel good.” 

Grace felt a hand on her jaw, gloved in latex. Someone was pulling her mandible down gently. Another hand worked the tube free from her throat. The medic was trying to be gentle, but it felt like they were mercilessly ripping it out. Grace still could not resist or make any sounds, until she felt the relief of the plastic tubing leaving her mouth. The hand on her arm was still there, stroking now. Grace drew in a deep breath, on her own, for the first time in nearly a month. “Don’t talk. You’ve been in a coma for a long time, Grace. Your body needs time to wake up. Don’t force it.” Grace felt her chapped lips with her tongue. Her mouth tasted metallic and alien. The voice in her ear was soft, relaxing. 

“Dani.” Grace whispered. She felt like she was yelling, but her own ears only just picked up the sound. 

“I’m right here, my love. You made it. Just lay still, Grace. Don’t fight. You’ve been restrained to keep you from hurting yourself. Your body is still healing.” Dani’s voice was straight from heaven. Grace was suddenly overcome by the reality of the horror movie she’d become. What must she look like? She could feel every sensation, the air on her skin, the sound of Dani’s voice, the ambient noise of the recovery area. She could feel plastic tubes running in and out of her body everywhere. She could feel the canvas straps that held her down, across her forehead, her neck, her chest, arms, wrists, pelvis, thighs, knees, and ankles. She was definitely restrained. She tried to test the straps, feeling a sudden surge of strength inside of her that was never there before. “Wait, Grace. Don’t move. Please.” Dani’s soothing voice brought Grace back down. “You may be strong enough to break free, but please don’t. Let yourself heal.” 

“My eyes.” Grace whispered. She felt the itch beginning behind her eyeballs, she wanted to reach up and scratch them out of her head. They burned like fire suddenly. 

“I know. Just try to think about anything else, my love. I’ll have them give you another sedative.” Dani stood up to go see the surgeon or Stacy. 

“Wait. Don’t go.” Grace’s voice was hoarse and small. She could only hope Dani had heard her. She felt gentle fingers touching her hand. 

“I’ll be right back.” 

Soon, a feeling of euphoria began to replace the itching and burning sensations. Grace felt herself floating just between the real world and the darkness she was craving. However, she just couldn’t force herself over the threshold of complete relief. The drugs were designed to keep her rooted in this world while providing enough sedation to keep her from going insane. The augmentation process had changed everything about Grace’s body. She knew what to expect, but the experience was somewhat different. She could feel everything moving inside of her. The Legion technology that had replaced most of her bones. The central processors that acted in tandem with her own brain, ordering the machinery to function were spitting out silent codes that Grace swore she could hear; or at least understand. Her muscles were tight, and she felt the wire mesh beneath her skin. It itched and rubbed under the surface. She wondered if that was something she would ever get used to. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, ten times stronger than it ever was before. The thorium reactor inside of her had enhanced it’s pumping ability, forcing a thick, viscous liquid through her veins. Her blood had been completely drained and replaced with the fluid. It partly kept everything cooled and lubricated, while transmitting nutrients and oxygen to her remaining organic parts. She didn’t know how much of her was left after the surgery. 

“Dani?” Grace felt like she’d been asleep all of her life. She came back around, scared to be alone. She felt gentle lips brush her cheek. 

“I’m here, amor.” Dani was laying right beside her in the hospital bed. Grace’s head restraints had been removed, as well as the ones on her neck, shoulders, chest and abdomen. She was still tied down by the arms and legs, hands and feet. “Don’t fight. Just lay still, baby. I’m right here.” Grace’s augmentations began to process the sensations of Dani being so close. Grace felt her temperature rise and her heartbeat quicken. She was suddenly, completely, awake. Every sense was heightened. She could smell Dani’s skin, her hair, her breath, her very core. Grace could hear the brunette’s heartbeat and feel it against everywhere they touched. She could feel Dani’s fear and love all at once, as if the emotions were physical extensions that touched Grace’s skin. 

“Dani, I feel you. I feel everything.” Grace whispered. 

“Shh. It’s a lot to process. Maybe I should get up.” Grace felt her partner begin to roll away from her. 

“No. Don’t go. I need you.” Grace felt Dani relax back down by her side. “What time is it? How long have I been asleep?” 

Dani inhaled deeply and committed to telling the blonde warrior everything she wanted to know. “You’ve been out of surgery for several weeks. It took them all day and most of the night to install the enhancements. There were no complications. You were a natural. Right now, it’s almost midnight. You’ve been in and out of consciousness for several days since they removed your breathing tube. Just take your time.” 

“Dani, I’m hungry.” Grace’s voice choked up, and she was suddenly overwhelmed by a memory of begging for food in the ruins. 

“I can’t give you anything to eat. You’re on a very strict diet right now, Grace. You’re being fed through a tube until you can process solid food again. Your stomach was almost destroyed by the Rev.” Dani stroked Grace’s forehead, pushing the blonde locks away from the bandages. 

“How much did they replace?” Grace wanted to know the details of surgery. The doctors could always prepare for one thing, and have the outcome end up differently. 

“A lot. Both arms, your hands, your legs and feet. Some of your ribs couldn’t be repaired. The ones that were repaired are bolted together. The ones that were lost were removed. You have a lot of synthetic pieces surrounding your organs. There’s a lot of wiring throughout your entire body, running from the CPUs to your brain. Everything is protected by a layer of wire mesh. Stacy Lewis did that. And might I just say, it looks like she did a fine job.” 

Dani heard her partner sob quietly. “Am I still human?” Grace asked. Dani knew if the blonde could run away right now, she would. Dani put her hand gently over Grace’s heart, feeling the strong beat against her palm. 

“What you did, my love, makes you more human than anyone who ever lived. You sacrificed yourself, everything, twice now, for me, for the human race. That type of sacrifice cannot be measured. No machine could ever do what you’ve done. I am so proud of you, Grace.” Dani pressed her lips to Grace’s cheek, feeling the rush of new heat radiating off of her lover. 

Grace extended her fingers and clenched them into a fist, feeling the metallic grinding under her skin. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to that. She just wanted to hold Dani. 

“Your head.” Grace suddenly remembered Dani’s injury. 

“Yeah, about that. Umm, it’s ok now. The Rev sliced my head open. It took part of my skull out too. Another centimeter and I’d be a vegetable, or dead. I’ve got a metal plate now, because the surgeons cut out the fragmented area. They sewed me back up and I was awake the next day.” Grace realized Dani had been watching her sleep for a month. Dani had been patiently waiting for her to wake up at all, the whole time never really knowing. “I’m going to untie one of your arms. I want you to feel it.” 

Dani sat up and looked around. Even though she was the Commander and could do what she wanted, she did not want to incur the wrath of the surgeons. “Promise me, Grace, that you won’t fight or move too much?” She watched Grace nod her head, still blinded by the bandages over her eyes. Dani released the strap binding her left hand. She held Grace’s hand in hers bringing it up to her own head. She pressed Grace’s fingertips against the side where the long scar traversed the length of her skull. 

“Holy shit.” Grace gasped. 

“Get this.” Dani guided Grace’s hand over the top of her head, letting her feel how the medics had cut every last bit of her hair off. It was now no more than the length of a military buzz cut. Grace gently ran her hand over and back, feeling the short, soft hairs brush against every nerve ending in her palm. She exhaled sharply, feeling the strange sensation of her partners head. 

“No.” Grace didn’t like it. 

“It’s grown back a little in the last month. It’ll keep growing, Grace. It looks kind of cool. You’ll see soon enough.” Dani took Grace’s hand and lowered it back down to her side, replacing the binding around the blonde’s wrist. “I’m sorry.” She whispered. 

Grace understood and nodded. The medic arrived with another sedative, knocking Grace out completely this time. The augment succumbed to the sweet relief of sleep, being held together by wire mesh, bolts, and her loving Commander.


	15. To Fight Another Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you remember the days?  
> We built these paper mountains  
> Then sat and watched them burn  
> I think I found my place  
> Can't you feel it growing stronger  
> Little conquerors 
> 
> Learning to walk again  
> I believe I've waited long enough  
> Where do I begin?” 
> 
> -Foo Fighters

The days passed too slowly for Grace. The sedatives and painkillers were fewer and farther between. Her body was starting to adjust to being awake again. She could feel herself healing from the inside out, if she laid still enough and it was quiet enough. The hardware in her body was cooperating nicely with her flesh, according to the surgeons. On the fourth day, after she had come out of the coma, the doctors decided to remove the bandages from Grace’s eyes. She was excited and more than a little scared. What if she couldn’t see? She swore that she was able to see red spots occasionally, when someone walked by or stayed in one place too long. She convinced herself she was just imagining it, but Grace told herself anything that helped her remain calm. When the bandages came off of her eyes, the doctors said they would probably release her hands and feet as well. Grace’s sensory augments were not entirely online yet. The techs had only booted up enough for her to feel her body healing in order to know if something was wrong. Her hearing was acute by nature, so Grace had no way of knowing how much of it was her or augmentation. She would soon find out. 

Dani Ramos left most of the Command in Lloyd’s capable hands. She spent her days sitting with Grace, reading to her, talking to her, and generally keeping the blonde’s mind occupied. As prone to anxiety and panic as Grace was, Dani knew that she needed something to soothe her, especially now. Captain Hadrell returned to Long Beach as soon as Dani was able to return to her post. He had other things to take care of at home. She thanked him for staying, gifting him an unopened bottle of her whiskey. 

Grace had been raised up into a sitting position in the hospital bed. Dani sat beside her, helping her sip broth from a bowl. Grace had complained constantly about being hungry. The augmentation of her metabolism made her burn through every calorie she consumed, and then some. By the end of the medically induced coma, Grace was terribly thin again. Dani had never seen her so malnourished, even on the road to Highgate. Grace’s stomach had mostly been repaired. Her enhancements stimulated a part of her brain that caused her to heal faster than normal people. She kept saying she was ready for real food. The doctors erred on the side of caution for now, utilizing a liquid diet and protein supplements for the time being. She’d been hooked up to so many tubes and wires and been tied down for so long, Grace was beginning to lose what was left of her mind. She tried joking with Dani, to cover up her anxieties. She tried bargaining with the doctors to have them let her go. She cried at night when she thought no one was listening. 

Dani remembered that first night after Grace woke up. She had gone home to shower and change clothes before going back down to the infirmary. The sedatives had worn off and Grace became highly agitated. Dani had walked in right as it all started. She was scared to move. It didn’t happen all at once. Grace started pulling at the restraints at first, then rocking her head back and forth slowly. She started moaning and groaning, arching her back against the ties that bound her. Grace began to cry out, begging someone to help her. Dani honestly believed that if Grace had let herself get any more worked up, she’d have been able to bust free of the straps. It broke her heart to watch Grace go through any of that, listening to her partner beg and scream and cry through the night. He wails echoed through the entire level. Dani wanted to walk away, to run away. She had to force herself to remember that Grace chose to do this for her sake. Grace chose to live to fight another day. Instead of leaving her partner in the darkness, alone and frightened, Dani would always sneak into bed with her. Grace allowed Dani to soothe her, to bring her down from dangerous heights. 

When Grace had finished eating, or drinking, as it were, the doctors came in to do their standard checks. They undressed Grace from her hospital gown, checked over every inch of scar tissue, to make sure the healing process was on track. They’d ask her a million questions about how she felt, what she could feel. They asked her everything from how many times she’d voided her bladder to if she was prone to murderous rages. Dani thought the latter was getting too close, if they didn’t release her soon. Once they redressed the blonde warrior, Stacy Lewis came in and sat down on the edge of the bed. 

Grace thought it was Dani, and instinctively ran her fingertips across the girl’s leg. Even though Grace was restrained, the young surgeon had been close enough. Stacy shifted back. “Hello, Grace.” The blonde pulled her hand back and apologized. “It’s ok, you can’t see. Yet. I’m here to unwrap your eyes. Since it is my handiwork, I need to be able to see how the procedure took. Are you ready?” 

“Yeah,” Grace whispered. Her heart was pounding. She didn’t know what to expect. She was excited and terrified. Dani moved closer to hold her hand. Grace felt gentle fingertips creep around the back of her head. Stacy told her everything she was doing as she did it, keeping Grace informed and calm. The bandage had been wrapped four times around her skull. When it finally fell away, two big pads remained over Grace’s eyes, held there by sweat, blood, and time. Stacy took one and slowly peeled it back. “Keep your eyes closed right now, please, until I get both patches off.” Stacy pulled the other away. Grace’s eyelids had been taped shut, preventing her from opening them at all. Crusted blood marked where the patches had been. The medic standing by readied a warm wet cloth to wash Grace’s face. Stacy pulled the tape free. “Whenever you’re ready, Lieutenant.” Stacy sat back and waited for Grace to open her eyes. 

Grace took a deep breath. Dani was on pins and needles. She squeezed the blonde’s hand, letting her know she was not alone. Her eyelids felt like they were glued shut. “I can’t.” She huffed, disappointed that she couldn’t even do that much. 

“That’s ok.” Stacy turned to the medic who handed her the moist towel. “They’re just crusted over with dried blood and pus. Let me take care of that.” Stacy leaned in and gently swabbed Grace’s eyelids, removing weeks of garbage. Finally, Grace felt her eyelids flutter open. The room was insanely bright. She slammed her eyes closed. The white-hot light seared her eyes and made her head hurt. 

“It’s too bright.” 

Stacy looked to Dani. “We can’t make it any darker in here.” 

Grace tried again. The room was too bright, even though they lived in a cave. The medic went around and shut off every non-essential light. It was still too much. Grace hung her head. 

“Well, there’s some good news, Grace. You can see light. That’s a start. Your eyes are highly sensitive right now. The augmentation for the HUD is on its default setting, which fully dilates your eyes. I’ll be able to turn it down and tune your vision once I get a good look. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to put up with me shining a very bright light into your eyes. ” Stacy wished for a better first outcome. 

“Sunglasses would be nice.” Grace whispered. “I have some in my armory locker.” Dani stood up and immediately went after them. She sprinted down the long hall to the second level. She must have opened three different lockers before realizing that Grace’s was the only one that didn’t have a name tag on it. She rummaged through the top shelf, pushing past an old cassette tape, a book about engines, a comic book, a half of a robin’s egg shell, until she found the sunglasses way at the back. Dani paused to pick up the egg shell. It was light blue, and tiny. It was so delicate. She wondered where Grace had found it. More than that, Dani wondered how Grace had managed to carry it all the way back without crushing it. She lingered on the idea for no longer than a few seconds, imagining all the kindness and gentleness her partner possessed. She replaced the shell carefully, shut the door and ran back to the hospital. 

Grace sat in silence with Stacy before the girl said anything. “Grace, I’m really glad you’re alive. I was so scared for you. I want to apologize for kissing you, the first time. I never got a chance to say it. I was in a weird place, and I thought...” 

“It’s ok, really. It’s forgotten.” Grace smiled blindly in the direction the girl’s voice came from. She felt a soft hand on her cheek. “But not sorry for the second time. Me either, kid. The circumstances were beyond our control.” 

Dani entered, breathless. 

“Here.” She handed the glasses to Stacy, who put them on Grace’s face. 

“Try that, Grace,” Stacy sat back, patiently waiting. 

Grace opened her eyes again, and was finally able to see more than just white light. And holy gods, could she see. Even through the tinted lenses, Grace could see everything around her in great detail. The heads-up display tracked her eye movements, locking onto whatever she looked at. The processor inside of her sent messages to her brain, telling her what threats surrounded her. The display picked up on scalpels, needles, and Dani’s pistol she thought she had hidden in her uniform pants. Grace looked at Dani. She just stared at the Commander. She got lost. She could see how short her hair was, the new scar on her cheek, the long scar covering the side of her head. If Grace looked close enough, she could see every detail in Dani’s warm, brown eyes. The medic decided to cut the power to the infirmary for a moment. No other patients were around at the time. There was a loud bang and then darkness. Grace reached up and slid the sunglasses off. Dani could see the blonde’s eyes give off a faint glow. She gasped at the sight. “Fuck me,” Grace whispered. Her vision was a hundred times more powerful than it had ever been. 

Stacy stood up and moved to the other side of the room as two other doctors came in. “Release her,” Stacy said. They all knew it was time. The doctors moved to unstrap Grace’s hands and feet. They stood back, watching the augment take her first movements since surgery. Grace held a wrist, rubbing it in her hand. She looked down at her hands and feet, tracking the new scars. “Grace. Catch!” Stacy threw her flashlight toward Grace, faster than she meant to. She grimaced, waiting for it to impact the blonde’s head. Grace looked quickly, and time seemed to almost stop. She detected the incoming object and reached out to grab it. The flashlight landed safely in her hand. The whole thing happened so fast; Dani wasn’t even sure what she saw. The flashlight had been turned on, so all Dani really saw was the end-over-end of light passing across the room. “Jesus, she’s fast.” Stacy admitted. 

Grace swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She really wanted to stand up. “No way, soldier. Not yet.” Stacy moved beside Grace to stop her. "I have to check your eyes, and then we’re going to bring you fully online.” 

The notion of being brought fully online excited Grace. She felt her body begin to react to having this entirely new skill set that she didn’t even have to learn. Grace felt the heat between her legs as her cock throbbed and hardened involuntarily. She looked down to see it protruding under the gown. She reached and grabbed a pillow, putting it over her lap. Dani tried not to laugh. Stacy didn’t even seem moved. “It happens more often than you think, Grace. Now, turn and face me.” The blonde warrior shifted her position and looked at Stacy in the darkness of the room. The girl used her flashlight to peer into Grace’s eyes, one at a time. The light was blinding. Grace kept blinking and wincing every time Stacy pointed it dead center for too long. “I’m sorry. I’m almost done. Everything looks great, Grace. I mean better than great.” 

“You did really good work, kid.” Grace marveled at her new sight. She’d never known anything like it. 

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to go get my tablet, so we can begin bringing you up.” Stacy stood and left the room. Dani took her spot next to Grace. 

“Are you ok, amor?” Dani searched Grace’s eyes for an answer, completely blown away by what she was seeing. Not only were Grace’s eyes glowing a little bit, but they were a different, deeper shade of blue now. Dani could lose herself forever in that intense gaze. She had to remind herself that this was still Grace, and nothing changed that. The two doctors had moved into the office to go over Grace’s charts and information. Dani slipped and arm around her partner’s back. “How do you feel?” 

“I’m hungry. But otherwise, I feel great. I mean, really great. I can’t even imagine how it will be when things are fine tuned.” Grace was smiling and excited. 

“You have to take it easy for a while. You need to learn how to control this. Jumping right into things is dangerous for you. You don’t yet know how strong you are, or what your limitations are.” Dani tried her best to explain that Grace could overload her senses with new input, just by walking too fast right now. Or how she could obliterate a brick wall with one punch if she wanted. 

Stacy Lewis returned with her tablet. The screen glowed in the darkness. She stood in front of Grace, tapped a few things on the screen that only she could see. “Are you ready for this, Grace Harper? This is going to blow your whole fucking mind.” Stacy grinned, her white teeth glowing against the light of the screen. She flipped the tablet around to Grace. There was a small, round divot in the bottom. It looked like a fingerprint pad. “Touch that, hold your thumb on it until I say.” Stacy looked to Dani. “You might want to stand back.” Dani moved out of the way, watching, as Grace laid her thumb in the divot. 

The amount of information streaming into Grace’s brain was shocking. She threw her head back, involuntarily, gasping, as lines of code flew past her eyes. The heads-up display began a full readout of what was being done to her body. Something deep in Grace’s brain was being awakened, giving her access to all the information from the Legion CPUs inside her. Everything had been reprogrammed to work with the human body. Grace’s eyes rolled back in her head as the information kept coming nonstop. Stacy reached out to keep Grace’s thumb from slipping off the fingerprint pad. Grace felt the thorium reactor come online fully, giving her an intense burst of energy. She could feel every single muscle in her body all at once. She could feel every organ working. She was beginning to overload with all the sensory information. 

“Stacy, it’s too much!” Dani yelled, watching Grace begin to shake and convulse. 

“It’s almost done, Commander.” Stacy remained calm in the face of Grace’s storm. She’d seen this a hundred times before. She assured Dani it was normal. Grace stopped breathing momentarily, and Dani started to panic. 

“Normal, my ass!” Dani took the few steps toward Grace before Stacy held out an arm to stop her. 

“Wait.” 

And as soon as it all began, it was over. Grace collapsed back on the bed, panting and groaning. Stacy released Dani, letting her go to Grace. Dani brushed the blonde’s hair out of her eyes, whispering for Grace to relax. “Dani, I’m ok. I’m better than okay.” The truth was, Grace felt amazing. She was a little hot, but otherwise she felt ready for anything. 

“Ok, Grace, slow down. I want you to try standing up. Don’t walk. Just stand.” Stacy stood in front of her, ready to help her if she lost her balance. Grace sat up and looked down at her feet on the floor. Her HUD processed the amount of distance between the soles of her feet and the tiles. Grace couldn’t really see the numbers reading out on the screen. It was less about seeing and more about understanding for the new augment. Grace felt the cool tiles beneath her feet, shivering at the sensation. “Everything is going to be super intense for a few days Grace. Just take it easy. If you don’t, I’ll jack you up with sedatives before you can tell me to stop.” 

Grace grinned at Stacy and pushed herself up to her feet. Dani half-expected the blonde warrior to collapse after being in bed for a month. Grace was solid. Stacy spent the next half hour, directing Grace to move and bend, squat, jump, and reach. She tested Grace’s range of motion, her reflexes, and strength. Grace was 100% online and ready to be cut off from the network. She was her own person again. Stacy disconnected her tablet. Grace felt it go. She was independently operating now. Grace turned to Dani as Stacy went to talk to the other doctors. Grace took Dani’s hands in hers, careful not to hold them too tight. She’d have to be acutely aware of everything she did now. Dani was right, she did not yet know her own strength. Grace cocked her head to the side and closed her eyes. Dani couldn’t hear anything. “What are they saying?” She asked. 

“They’re deciding whether or not to release me, into your care.” Grace listened further, feeling Dani’s thumbs brush over and back across her skin. “That’s really nice, my love. They agree I can go. But I have to come back in the morning for a checkup, probably every day for a while.” Dani turned her head to watch the three talk about Grace’s fate. When Stacy emerged from the office, she told Dani exactly what Grace had just said. Dani marveled at the blonde’s heightened sense of hearing. Stacy handed Grace a t-shirt and some scrub pants to wear until she got back to her room. She pulled Dani aside, whispering softly, “there’s one other thing, Commander.” Stacy looked back, knowing full well Grace could probably hear her. “The enhancements enhance everything.” She dropped her eyes toward her center. “Everything. Be careful, Dani.” The Commander bit her bottom lip and nodded, looking back at her partner. She found it hard to believe Grace would ever hurt her knowingly. But she also remembered a time when Grace was inherently rough. Hopefully the augment hadn’t forgotten everything Dani had taught her about patience and softness. 

One of the surgeons came out, producing a small med bag for Dani to take. “This has a few draws of the medications she will need. One in the morning, one at noon, one before bed. There’s one in there for emergencies, should you need it. Make sure she eats, a lot. Her metabolism is burning through her fat stores quickly. She needs twice as much food as you ever would. Have her come back in the morning, please. There are also sedatives and painkillers in there.” 

“What about the meds Owens put her on, for the PTSD?” Dani worried about negative reactions between all the drugs. 

The surgeon shook his head. “She won’t need them ever again. Trust me on that.” 

Dani looked over the contents of the bag before looping it over her shoulder. She looked over to watch Grace struggling to get one leg down inside the pants. Dani huffed, amused at how awkward Grace still was sometimes. It actually felt good to know she was, in fact, still human. 

Dani offered Grace her arm. She finally felt the weight of the blonde’s new parts. She recalled the time at the Mexico City pharmacy when Grace leaned on her for support. She had forgotten how heavy the augmentation made her partner. “Let’s go home, amor.” Dani whispered, leading Grace back to their safe haven. 

As they made the walk back to their room, Dani took great pains to rein Grace in as she pulled Dani along. She reminded the blonde that she needed to be extremely careful right now. Dani noticed the bulge in Grace’s shorts, wondering if she would ever be able to keep up again. If everything was enhanced, like Stacy Lewis had said, Dani was scared she’d never be enough for her partner. Grace caught Dani looking and laughed. 

“I’m worried about that too, Dani.” Grace said, pulling Dani into the solitude of their quarters, shutting the door behind them. 

Grace backed into the room, a few feet away from Dani. There was a wild, devilish look in the enhanced blue gaze. “Grace, I don’t think we should.” Dani professed, walking ever closer to Grace, despite her protestation. She couldn’t take her eyes off of it. She had to know. As she closed the distance between them, Grace hooked her thumbs in the waistband of the pants, threatening Dani with a full visual. Dani stopped, still staring, and nodded. Grace pushed the scrubs down around her thighs, letting her cock spring up. It was unbelievably hard, and red, and huge. It was already leaking fluid. She looked up at Grace in disbelief. The blonde reached down to take herself in her hand, gently stroking it. 

“Grace.” Dani whispered, her tone concerned and excited at the same time. She took a step forward. Dani reached up to pull Grace down, kissing her for the first time in days. “Let me.” Dani kept eye contact with Grace, instantly getting lost in her eyes. She reached and wrapped her hand around the throbbing member, exhaling hard at how hot it was. Grace let her head fall back and let out a very satisfied moan. Dani began stroking her slowly, feeling Grace shudder, and suddenly the blonde warrior was coming in her hand. Dani reached with her free hand, holding Grace’s hip, steadying her. “It’s ok, amor. It’s ok.” 

Grace looked down at the mess she had made. “Dani, that was way too fast. It was good, but holy shit. I can feel your pulse in my cock. I can feel every line in your hand, every bit of pressure. My brain is processing pleasure sensations so fast, I can’t make sense of it. I have no control.” Grace looked a little defeated. All this time spent learning how to make love to Dani was all for naught. 

“Then we will just have to learn a new way for you to regain control, my lover.” Dani continued stroking Grace’s shaft when she realized the blonde’s hard-on never went away. “We can start right now.” She pressed Grace back toward the bed. The truth wasn’t that Dani wanted to teach Grace to control anything right now. Dani had missed her partner terribly in the last month. She was elated that the soldier had lived and thrived. Grace was an entirely new person. She looked at Dani, expecting her to run out of the room screaming at what she saw. Would she think the augmentation scars were hideous? What if Grace’s sex drive was too much for Dani? All of those questions were answered as Dani stripped the blonde’s clothes away, kissing scars everywhere she could. She pulled off her own uniform and laid on her back. It was Grace’s favorite position. “I’m yours, Grace. Always.” Dani pulled Grace down between her legs, guiding the soldier home.


	16. Marathon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Maybe I need more time to heal   
> Try to unpack the things I feel   
> Battles I've lost and wars I've won   
> And all of the hurt that has been done   
> Maybe I need more time to heal   
> Maybe I need just a little more space   
> Distance myself from the troubles I face   
> What would it hurt to just lay low   
> Maybe I need more time to grow   
> Maybe prayer is just letting go   
> All I want is for this setting sun   
> To show me how it's done   
> And show me how far I've come.” 
> 
> -Kim Taylor

The initial sensation of sliding into the wet heat of her lover sent a shockwave through Grace’s augmented body. She cried out, loudly. She felt her body tighten. She closed her eyes, trying not to watch Dani’s face through the HUD. She was overloading her senses. Grace had never felt so stimulated before, even by Dani. She held herself inside the brunette, afraid to move at all. 

Dani held tightly to Grace’s arms, feeling the blonde warrior stretch and fill her like never before. Plus, Grace was burning so hot right now, it was almost uncomfortable for Dani. She felt herself start to sweat. It was just about too much. “Grace. Pull out, please.” 

Grace heard her, but could not manage to switch between the controls of her body. She felt Dani’s palms on her chest, pushing. “Ok. I’m sorry.” Grace released her, dropping down on the bed beside her, clearly out of breath. She wondered if the augmentation had just ruined a fantastic sex life with the woman she loved. “Did I hurt you?” Grace looked over at Dani, trying to see signs of discomfort or pain. The blonde was breathless, without having exerted an ounce of energy. 

“It’s not that, Grace. You’re bigger than you were before. Your body temperature is higher. It’s a lot to handle.” Dani rolled onto her side, examining the blonde for signs of stress. Gods, she was so skinny, Dani thought. Grace groaned, feeling her cock throbbing still, aching for attention and release. Grace held herself, wishing everything were different. 

“I’m sorry, Dani. I thought I was doing the right thing. I just want to keep you safe.” 

Dani pressed herself against Grace’s side, rubbing her fingers along the pattern of new scars across the blonde’s belly. Her abs were so defined, both by enhancements and by the malnutrition. “You did the right thing, my love. Don’t ever think you didn’t. We just have to get used to things being different now.” Dani watched the way Grace held herself. She felt bad for her, not being able to get satisfaction the way she used to. Dani was suddenly determined to fix that. Whatever Grace needed; Dani was going to give her. “I owe you my life, Grace. And I probably will again and again. Let's try again.” Dani reached over and pulled Grace’s hand away, replacing it with her own. The action took Grace’s breath away. She closed her eyes and sank down into the pillow. Dani began stroking her, slowly, gently, before pulling her hand away. Grace felt the movement and opened her eyes to see Dani bending down to press the head of Grace’s cock into her mouth. 

“Oh God, Dani.” Grace moaned loudly, unable to control the sounds she was making. She loved it when Dani did this. The feeling of that wet mouth all over her would make her come hard and fast. Dani lifted her head, looking up with dark, hungry eyes. “It’s an adjustment, babe. I’ll take you through every step of it.” Dani dropped her head back down, taking Grace in an inch at a time. Dani ran her tongue along the hot shaft, sucking just hard enough to create pressure. She pulled back, running her tongue over the head of Grace’s dick, making the blonde pant. Dani reached down to cup Grace’s balls, gently massaging them as she sank her mouth down on Grace as far as she could. Dani swore she tasted something metallic. It did not bother her. She loved Grace, every part of her, new or original. Her partner deserved to feel good after the atrocities she had endured for the Commander’s sake. Dani opened her throat to let Grace slip deeper. The blonde warrior sat up, nearly screaming. 

“Dani, I’m going to...” and she did. Hard. Dani never left her. She held Grace in her mouth, sucking every bit of seed from her that she could. She was determined to get Grace off for the night at least. The huge cock twitched and throbbed with every swipe of Dani’s soft tongue. Dani felt hands on the back of her head, pushing her down as Grace started to thrust upward. This wasn’t going to work. Grace needed it hard and fast right now before she’d ever be done. Dani moved down to the other end of the bed, on her hands and knees, presenting Grace with her back side. She looked back, watching Grace process, nod, and get up on her knees behind her. She felt Grace take her by the hips, position herself and whisper, “I’m so sorry. Hang on, Daniella.” Grace drove herself deep inside Dani. She pulled back gently, trying to control her movements. 

“Go ahead Grace. Claim me again. Make me yours.” Dani knew her words would affect Grace and she’d lose her control. It was what Grace needed. She needed to get it out of her system. Grace reached over and pushed Dani’s head down against the mattress, angling her better for deeper penetration. Grace slammed into her hard. Dani screamed, burying her face in the blankets. Grace took several deep breaths and just let go. She hammered away at Dani, taking deep and rough strokes. She rode her fast, feeling Dani buck against her every move. Grace felt her orgasm building. She was almost there. Dani could feel how hot she was getting. By listening to her lover, she could tell that Grace was getting close. Dani shifted suddenly, pulling away from her. “On your back, Lieutenant.” Grace nodded, holding her stiff shaft in her hand, still stroking. She laid back, spread her legs and let Dani straddle her. The brunette sank down on her taking her completely inside. “Relax. This is for me now.” Grace nodded, staring up at her. The HUD tracked Dani’s facial expressions, her movements, her temperature. There were so many things that the enhancements analyzed, but so much Grace missed about just feeling. She laid back and closed her eyes, feeling Dani Ramos grind down on her slowly. “No, you watch me, Grace.” Grace opened her eyes again. Dani had a plan, she realized. Grace needed to relearn how to go slow. She had to learn how to process the new information coming in from every angle. Grace needed to understand that it wasn’t all machinery making her operate now. Dani told her, as she rode Grace, that she was human and needed to keep in touch with that. Dani leaned over, making the skin contact with Grace. Grace’s head rolled to the side as she cursed softly. She had forgotten how good Dani felt against her, the grounding effect they had on each other. Grace wrapped her arms around the brunette, holding her tight, staring into her eyes, and just like that, something clicked in her mind. Grace was able to shut down the HUD voluntarily. Dani saw the change in Grace and stopped moving. 

“What is it?” Dani saw what looked like a light in Grace’s eyes dim slightly. “Are you ok?” Grace blinked twice and it was back on. She shook her head and consciously willed it off again. 

“Oh yeah. I’m great now.” Grace grinned at Dani, giving her that favorite crooked smile. Grace began moving with Dani, no longer afraid of losing her humanity. She just had to learn how to turn it on and off in this situation. As they started moving together, Grace told Dani there was some kind of switch for it. She tried to tap into that same switch to shut down her sex drive once she came. It was worth a try. Dani began riding her faster, as Grace thrusted upward, deeper into her partner. Dani could feel her own climax close by, and she brought Grace’s fingers to her clit. Grace didn’t need further direction. She brought Dani to her orgasm, and felt her own right behind it. She started to shake and shiver, feeling Dani clench and release around her, and Grace finally came again. This time she closed her eyes, searching for the switch to shut it all down for at least the night. She wasn’t sure if she did it or if Dani’s body had finally given her enough. But Grace went soft and began to relax. 

Dani took her place against Grace’s chest. She threw the blankets off of them. If Grace ran this hot all the time, Dani would never need blankets again. “Stacy said the temperature would come down a few degrees when I was relaxed and would stay that way after I get used to everything.” Grace rubbed Dani’s back with gentle fingertips, enjoying the feeling of just laying with her in privacy. Things finally felt like they might get back to normal. Dani leaned in, softly kissing Grace, working her lips apart with a knowing tongue. Grace moaned. 

Dani pulled back just a little, holding Grace’s chin in her hand. “Don’t start. I just want to kiss you. I’ve missed you for too long, my love.” Grace remembered all of their famous make out sessions. Not one time did it end with just going to sleep. Grace felt herself grow hard again, but Dani reached down, taking her in familiar hands, “I’ve missed all of you, Grace Harper.” Dani pulled Grace back on top of her, guiding her inside again. “Slow and easy, lover.” Grace nodded, bringing all of her senses under the yoke of her control. It seemed like every time made it easier to do, and Grace lasted longer and longer. 

After a fourth session, Grace wondered what time it was. Dani pulled her watch from the bedside table drawer. It was after 2 am. They had been at this all night. Dani’s body was becoming sore. Grace was exhausted. She needed food and a shot. Grace sat up on the edge of the bed, but became light headed. Dani dressed quickly, gave Grace her night time injection, and went in search of real food for her warrior lover. Mike was bound to have something available. Grace deserved an acutal meal. 

On her way to the mess hall, Dani wondered if this was their new normal. Marathon sex. She pondered the idea. It wasn’t bad at all. Grace burned pretty hot, but Dani thought she could get used to it. The two were insatiable for each other normally. And if this was the precursor to time displacement and Grace leaving her forever, Dani would take every moment she could get with her.


	17. Count the Cost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The wide world spins and spits turmoil  
> And the nations toil for peace  
> But the paws of fear upon your chest  
> Only love can soothe that beast  
> And my words are paper tigers  
> No match for the predators of pain inside her.” 
> 
> -Emily Saliers

The early morning hours were always tough on Grace. She’d wake up starving no matter what time it was. She had started keeping a stash of food in her room to cover any sudden cravings. Grace craved food all the time. She had started eating almost six times a day. In the course of three weeks since her initial wake-up, she had put on about 20 pounds. She was feeling much better, moving better, and learning to control her body more. She had discovered that with the heads-up display, she was prone to being more analytical than emotional. That was a drawback for Grace, especially when it came to Dani. Every private moment they spent together; Grace’s new hardware would tell her everything from body temperatures to mental states. Her HUD could read Dani’s emotions, and spit them out as calculated details. If Dani got angry, the HUD would tell Grace that her pulse, temperature, and general disposition were elevated. It also calculated the odds of an attack or breakdown. Grace had learned to shut the HUD off at will, giving her less information and more space to navigate as a human being with her partner. When she was alone with Dani, Grace preferred to be as human as she once was. 

The price she was paying for augmentation was strange. Yes, Grace was faster and stronger than she had ever been. She was able to train and fight alongside the other augments now, which increased her lethality on the battlefield. She could see at night just as clear as during the day. Unfortunately, for all the enhancements that aided her in fighting the machines, Grace felt part of her humanity had disappeared entirely. The surgeons also warned her that her life span now had been cut extremely short. Grace knew this going in to the procedure, that she would probably only live several more months. The sacrifice was worth it, in her mind. She’d have given every last day of her life for one more moment with Dani. She’d paid the price and was given a second chance to defend the Commander again. However, Grace knew that she didn’t have much time to spend trying to regain her lost humanity; and she just had to make the best of it. Dani had told her that the medications were becoming better and better all the time, thanks to Highgate’s science division. There was a good chance that they would be able to extend her life by months or even years. Grace knew it was just a pipe dream, but this had been the only way to keep her on her feet. 

Dani had begun to second-guess her decision to send Grace back in time, should the day arrive. She was determined now, to press Highgate for more research and results. Dani Ramos not only wanted Grace to live, but she wanted her to stay. With Lieutenant Harper training the augments every day now, it would be possible for Dani to send someone else back to protect her. Someone else would be just as qualified as Grace ever was. Devotion to the Commander and the cause would be another matter, but surely, Dani believed, someone would be ready. She had spoken to Grace several times about it. She had told Grace how she felt. Of course, Grace didn’t think anyone on the planet was better suited to it than she was. No one would care for and protect Dani like she would. And deep inside, Dani knew this too. It didn’t stop her selfishness though. She couldn’t bear to think about living her life without her partner. The Commander knew that Grace was struggling with being part machine now, but Dani didn’t seem bothered by it at all. Grace’s sex drive was higher, she tasted different now, she was always hungry, always looking at something Dani couldn’t see. There was a part of Grace that was just gone, Dani realized. None of the love had disappeared, none of Grace’s gentleness or kindness was gone. But something was missing. Dani decided if she couldn’t figure out what it was, it should not bother her. If anything, the difference made Grace more beloved to her. 

Grace didn’t know how to feel about Dani telling her she didn’t want her to go back and protect her. If not her, then who? Grace didn’t trust anyone else to go. Plus, if everything Dani had told her about going back was true, Grace wouldn’t live long anyway, so what did it matter? She’d die with Dani either way, so she might as well be protecting the younger version against the Rev-9 sent back to end her. Grace’s augmentation would give younger Dani the best chance at survival. If the Resistance stopped Legion before the TDC could be used, Grace would live out the remainder of her days with Dani now. Grace believed that her augmentation was best put to use back in 2022. She would argue with Dani every time about this. Commander Ramos’s decision was final, though. Someone else had to go, so Grace had better just train the other augments well. It stung Grace’s pride, but she respected Dani’s choice. 

On her way to the mess hall one afternoon, trying to find her fourth meal of the day, Grace was suddenly overcome by the fact that every single one of her Carlsbad Rangers were dead. Every. Single. One. She stopped dead in her tracks, in the curved hallway between her room and the common area. She suddenly remembered them all, and even the new recruits she had put on her team in the days before El Segundo. She had completely forgotten them since she came out of the coma. The grief and guilt were too much. The emotions overloaded Grace’s human senses. She powered up the HUD to take over. She made a mental note right then and there of the fallen Rangers, realizing she had no one to recite the names with. She was the last of them. She turned the HUD back off, admitting that it was a cheat. It cheapened their sacrifices if she wouldn’t allow herself to feel their loss. She forgot about eating, for once since her augmentation, realizing that remembering her comrades was far more important. She tried to remember where Dani said she’d be that afternoon. Her office? Lloyd would know. 

Grace made her way back to the command station, and hovered over Lloyd until he finished his current task. He typed some message into his keyboard, and sent it to an unknown recipient. He pushed his chair away from his desk and looked up at a distraught lieutenant. Her face was red, she was out of breath. “Grace, are you ok? You don’t look good.” Lloyd stood up to face her. She was taller than he was by about three inches. He scanned her face for an answer, but she wasn’t forthcoming. 

“I need to see the Commander. Where is she?” Grace demanded the answer breathlessly. She leaned over, resting her weight on Lloyd’s desk. She was crashing, partly because she was hungry, but mostly because of the sensory overload. She refused to hide behind her machinery now. 

“She’s in with Stacy Lewis. Down on the third level, in the food lab. They’re trying to come up-” 

Grace cut him off. “I don’t care Lloyd. I need her right now.” 

“I’ll get her. Sit.” He stood and pushed Grace down into the chair. He’d seen augments overload before, and it wasn’t pretty. He felt the intense heat coming off of her before he even touched her arm. Lloyd first ran over to the infirmary, to find a medic, but everyone was out on the current mission. They’d gone out to set up a ring of explosives around the Los Angeles International airport. The Revs were still there, still working, day and night. They hadn’t stopped just because their power source had been offline. Legion was up to something different. Lloyd left a note for Owens to go see to Grace when she got back. He sprinted out of the common area to the elevator that would take him deeper into the earth. 

Grace helped herself to Lloyd’s bottle of juice. She took it down in one swig. It wasn’t enough, not by far. She did her best to keep the anxiety and panic at bay. She didn’t want to burn herself out, though she was very close already. She laid her head on the desk and willed herself to pass out. That wasn’t difficult since her consciousness had started fading anyway. This wasn’t her first crash, but it was the worst so far. She was glad she hadn’t been in the field. Her first crash was after a bout of rigorous hand-to-hand combat training with an augmented soldier named Rufus. He was faster than she was, stronger, and it took everything in her to overpower him and wrestle a knife from his hand. She’d seen an opportunity, when her HUD slowed everything down, to sidestep him and jump right on his back. Once she got the knife away from him, she put him in a sleeper hold. He struggled with the strength of 20 men. He did everything he could to shake her off, but she held on, expending every last bit of her energy. Medics had to carry her off the training platform that day. 

Dani came running through the common area, with Lloyd and Stacy right behind her. Dani reached Grace, dropped to her knees beside the blonde, and tried to shake her awake. Dani noticed that she’d only ever felt Grace burn this hot one other time: after fighting the Rev-9 that day at the car factory. She remembered Grace passing out in the pharmacy, how it took her and that poor boy to drag Grace outside. She was afraid for the blonde warrior’s life then, and she had only met her an hour before. This level of fear was something brand new to Dani. 

“Grace, wake up. I’m here. Grace.” Dani brushed Grace’s hair out of her face, and peeled open an eyelid. Grace’s blue eyes were abnormally pale. She was crashing and she’d turned off the HUD. Her augmentations couldn’t even help her now. Medication, in dangerously high doses, would be the only way to bring her back around. And Dani had no clue about how much of what to use. The medics had always had it ready beforehand. Dani turned back to yell, but Stacy was already beside her. 

“We need sodium polystyrene sulfonate, benzos, anti-convulsants, insulin, and electrolyte replacement fluids.” Stacy rambled off the list, mostly to herself, as she turned toward the infirmary. Owens was already on her way over with a bag. 

“What happened?” Owens asked as she dropped down beside Dani, getting an injection ready from the list of meds Stacy had told her. The list was new from what the medics had been giving to Grace. Owens didn’t question it, since Stacy was an augmentation surgeon from Highgate. She’d ask about it later, but right now, she wanted to just help the blonde. Owens pulled the cap off the needle. Dani reached under Grace and unbuttoned her pants. Owens pulled the back of them down slightly, exposing the flesh of her buttocks. She unceremoniously jammed the needle into the supple skin, plunging the cocktail into Grace’s body. “We need ice. We have to get her cooled off. She’s running at about 110 F right now. She’s going to burn out her brain. Let’s get her up.” 

Owens, Stacy, Dani, and Lloyd hefted Grace’s heavy body up, and carried her as fast as they could across the common area. The shower in the back of the infirmary was open and waiting for them. They dropped Grace’s unconscious form down to the floor and Owens opened the cold-water valve full blast. Dani and Stacy knelt beside her inside the shower, stripping her uniform off, trying to get as much cold water directly onto her skin as they could. “Ice, Owens. Get some ice.” Stacy ordered. Owens turned and headed to the mess hall. They usually had ice on hand, though Owens didn’t know how much. Dani pulled Grace’s top off, brushed the blonde’s hair out of her face. She was terrified over how hot her partner was. The blonde’s skin was turning red, as if she’d been out in the sun all day. Dani leaned Grace forward so that the cold water hit her directly in the face. They had to bring the temperature down inside her skull, or Grace would never wake up again. Lloyd turned away to go find some chemical ice packs. He knew where they were kept. He’d needed one when he sprained his ankle last fall. They would certainly help. He brought over the four he could find, and started breaking the capsules inside each packet. He shook each one to activate it, placing one under each of Grace’s armpits, and laid the other two between Grace’s thighs. Dani nodded to Lloyd in thanks. Owens and Mike returned with two big tubs of ice. Dani pushed Grace forward, allowing Owens to dump the first tub behind her, covering most of her back. Dani laid the blonde backwards so that Owens could dump the remaining tub over her chest and belly. And that was all they could do. Now they had to wait. Dani was shivering in the shower. She looked across at Stacy. The girl’s teeth were chattering. She had disconnected the shower hose from the wall, holding it in her hand, spraying cold water over Grace’s skull. Gradually, her temperature began to come down. Dani felt hypothermic, but never left her partner. The heat still radiating from Grace was enough to make the whole situation bearable. 

A few more agonizingly slow moments passed before Grace began to speak. Her eyes were still closed. But she had said something. Dani leaned closer, whispering, “talk to me, amor.” She stroked Grace’s cheek, gently trying to bring her back around. 

“Rangers. I forgot them.” Grace whispered. Dani knew what she was talking about. 

“It’s ok, Grace. Just try to stay with me. I didn’t forget them. You’ll see. Come on back, baby.” 

It took Grace another 20 minutes in the shower to finally regain consciousness. She was completely wiped out. Stacy, by this point, was pissed off at her. “Turn on that fucking HUD, right now. And keep it on, Grace. That display reads out every single body function you are having, every twist in your emotions, everything. It’s not just an annoying readout, it keeps your body nice and even by telling it what to do. If you turn that off, you have no control over your enhancements, and then shit like this happens. You should have been able to control this with fucking crackers, Grace. Jesus Christ.” Stacy toweled off her face and walked away. 

Owens finally turned off the water. Lloyd stood by in case they needed him to help lift again. Owens handed Dani a few towels. The Commander helped Grace to stand up. Once she was upright, Owens and Lloyd gave them some privacy. Dani walked Grace over to a bed and sat her down. “Just relax, soldier. Lay back and relax.” Dani was soaking wet. Her uniform was basically ruined for the day. Grace’s clothes were in a wet heap on the floor. Dani just shook her head. “Grace, what happened?” 

Grace’s mouth was dry. She willed the HUD on, getting a constant flow of information about her physical state. The medications were working. The benzos were making her sleepy all over again. “Dani, I forget them. I didn’t even think about them until today. You know we always count the cost. But I'm all that’s left of the Carlsbad...” Her voice trailed off as Grace got lost in a memory. Her enhancements wouldn’t allow her to really feel it. She just remembered and analyzed it. Dani watched the strange reaction. Grace didn’t deserve whatever was going on. She’d gone from one extreme to the other. At first, Grace was habitually emotional about the loss of her Rangers. She’d suffered extremely from PTSD for years. But now, all of a sudden, that part of Grace’s humanity was replaced by a mechanical system that processed memories for her. It made Dani sick to think of all that implied. 

Dani brought Grace some grey sweats and a long-sleeved t-shirt. She helped her partner dress. Dani was still in her wet uniform. Grace tried to protest, saying Dani needed to change first, but the Commander ordered her to lay back down. “If you don’t cooperate, Lieutenant, I’ll have Owens strap you back down until you see reason.” Grace could tell that Dani wasn’t kidding. She shut her mouth and laid back. “Now, if you’ll allow me,” Dani’s tone made her sound seriously annoyed, “I’m going to go change. I’ll bring you something to eat. There’s something I want you to see, love. So please, don’t go anywhere. Don’t turn yourself off. Just...” Dani sighed heavily, shook her head, and walked away. 

Grace tried to relax. The readout told her that the CPUs were adjusting her reactor, turning down the output since she was resting. This would cool her down a little bit more. She closed her eyes, but could continue to see the lines and lines of code appear on the right side of her vision. She wondered why Stacy was so upset with her. After all, Grace didn’t know that would happen. She’d been pretty excited to be able to shut that part of herself down, and just feel like a normal human again. Stacy had been right though, with the HUD in control, Grace’s body responded better. She had just realized how everything worked together. Grace suddenly felt kind of idiotic about the whole situation, but she felt even worse about forgetting her Rangers who had died. 

She tried to just relax for a little bit. Owens showed up with a bottle of water for her. Grace drank the whole thing down in seconds. She wasn’t sure when Dani would come back. The Commander had been pretty ticked off at her when she left. She might leave her there for a while just out of spite. Stacy Lewis reappeared a few minutes later. She looked like she had been crying, but Grace did not ask. She felt bad enough. Her actions had affected everyone she even remotely cared for. That list was short now. Grace hated this. She wasn’t sure if she could ever get used to being part machine. She could handle the hardware that made her stronger and faster, but everything that invaded her mind was something else. Stacy sat on the bed beside Grace, running diagnostics on her systems, via visual acuity tests, bilateral strength tests, and some digital things on her tablet. Stacy did not apologize for snapping. Grace did not apologize for misusing her enhancements. Instead, when the young girl was done running her tests, she just sat next to Grace in silence. The HUD told Grace that the girl was processing something internally. She wanted to ask, but did not want to risk further upsetting her. Grace reached out and held her hand in silence. Stacy squeezed hers gently and stood up, moving out of Grace’s reach. 

Dani returned shortly, in her t-shirt and some black sleep pants and tennis shoes. She’d tied her hair back behind her head. Grace had to admit that Dani looked incredibly beautiful when she wore those night time clothes. It reminded Grace of her favorite part of the day. She still looked mildly irritated with Grace. The HUD showed levels of increased stress and hormone release in the Commander. Grace wanted to feel bad about it, but she couldn’t maneuver around the augmentation. Dani sat down beside her and kissed her cheek, letting Grace know that she wasn’t terribly mad. She paused just for a second, lingering with her cheek pressed to Grace’s. She loved her beyond words. Under Dani’s arm was a thick file folder. It was dark brown, tied with string. Dani pushed into the bed beside her partner. She called Owens and Stacy to stay with them. “Grace I’ve been keeping this for some time. Ever since The Shove, actually. It’s time you saw it. I knew this day would come.” Dani meant that the day when Grace was the last of the Rangers. “I will count the cost with you.” She placed the file in Grace’s lap. “Shut down your visuals. You’re safe now. You can be human. You need to be right now.” Mike brought in a tray of food, set it beside Grace’s bed, and left without saying a word. 

Grace willed her mechanics to hibernate. She looked up at the women standing around, over at her partner who was tucked in right beside her. She untied the string holding the file together. She opened it to the first page and saw an old faded photo of Adam Henry. He was in his early thirties, full uniform from his Army days. He was clean-shaven and very handsome. The file listed his decorations, accomplishments, his age, and cause of death. Grace bit her lip, gritted her teeth and let her human emotions carry her into her grief. She ran her fingertips over the photo, trying to feel Henry again. The next page was for Amelia Vanda, Grace’s best friend. Dani slipped her arm around Grace’s shoulders, rubbing the back of her neck gently. Grace cried like a wounded animal. The photo was one from Carlsbad, when they were all still together. Amelia Vanda was holding a basketball, wearing a yellow tank top and blue shorts. Grace always thought she looked ridiculous in that outfit, but she could dunk. Grace laughed at the memory, wiping tears back. The next file was the girl, Maddie. No one knew her last name. No one knew how old she was. There was no photo. It was a simple “missing in action” file, wishing her well on her journey. Felipe Diaz was next. He was the augmented soldier that saved Grace’s life at the airport. He was 22. He lived in Santa Monica. He had children and a wife that were long dead. His photo was a post-op picture from his augmentation. He was unconscious, but Grace recognized him. She silently thanked him for his sacrifice. She read about John James Edwards and Deke Nelson, learning a couple of things she didn’t know before. Shawn Fredrickson, Trinity Baxendale, and Marlin James were the Rangers that lost their lives to the skinner clan. Grace did not know them well, but they were Rangers, nonetheless. Just because she wasn’t close to them didn’t mean their lives were any less important. Bill Daniels was next. Grace had grown to really like that kid, on the road to Highgate. He could drive very well. He was fearless. He’d had no prior military experience before joining the Rangers under Grace’s command. He was only 18. His photo looked like one that was taken at a photo booth in a mall somewhere. Grace had no idea where it came from. She flipped to the next file. The photograph was of a man with dark hair, brown eyes, and brown skin. He wore the Carlsbad Ranger uniform so proudly. Grace felt the sadness and grief crash through her. She tried to blink the tears away so she could see. She closed her eyes and remembered Amador Ruiz anyway. She recalled sharing that terrible cigarette with him. She remembered getting drunk more than once with him. Amador Ruiz was the kindest person she’d ever known in the Rangers. He was her brother when she knew her own was finally gone. And she’d lost Ruiz too. She grinned, sort of, through her teeth, expelling her emotions uncontrollably. She looked up at Owens and Stacy who were crying right along with her. Dani held her grip on Grace’s neck, whispering Spanish to her. There was one file left. Grace opened it and wanted to die. Dane Lewis stared back at the whole room with big green eyes. She sobbed. She couldn’t even look anymore. She handed the file to Stacy, letting her read it. Stacy pulled something out, handed it to Grace without looking. Grace took the photo. It was a group picture of the Carlsbad Rangers all together. They were posed together, in uniforms and weapons, smiling. Grace remembered the day David took the picture. They had just received their registration confirmation papers from Fort Bliss. That was the day they officially became part of the Resistance. Grace dropped the photo and put her head in her hands. She couldn’t do anything else. She let her sorrow fill her and keep her. She let herself cry, not for her own self this time, but for the friends she had made. For the friends that had died. Every life was worth two of hers, she thought. If she didn’t do something important with her augmentation, Grace believed that their sacrifices were in vain. 

Dani rubbed her palm back and forth over Grace’s back, just letting her go through it. There was no need to stop it. Dani knew Grace would deal with things better later if she allowed herself to feel it now. Stacy took the file to Owens, where the two stood, getting a better look at the names and faces. 

“You did that for me?” Grace whispered to Dani. 

“And I did it for them.” Dani told her, lightly rubbing her fingertips across Grace’s neck. “I did it while you were out. I knew without Ruiz, you had no one left for the ritual. I knew you did it every time you lost someone. I know how important it was to you to remember them. They weren’t forgotten, Grace. Not by you, not by anyone. They’re all there.” 

Grace nodded, looking at the photo of her team. “I’ll miss them.” That was all Grace said before powering up her enhancements. She pulled the food tray in front of her and began to consume the augmented meal. Dani regarded her, knowing that this was how Grace had to deal with the heavy losses. She’d do it in her own way. Grace stopped eating for a moment and looked at Dani. She leaned in and kissed the Commander softly. “Thank you.”


	18. A Friendly Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Stay with me  
> Let's just breathe 
> 
> Practiced on our sins  
> Never gonna let me win  
> Under everything  
> Just another human being 
> 
> I don't want to hurt  
> There's so much in this world  
> To make me believe.” 
> 
> -Eddie Vedder

The Resistance team that was out near the airport, planting explosives had returned just before dark that day. The team leader had expressed concern that the place was a tomb. He had relayed the information directly to Commander Ramos when she met the team in the loading bay. He had explained that they were able to get in too close without being noticed. The dead shells of Legion’s machines were littering the tarmac. Dani knew that was impossible, since the last time they were there, Grace’s team had only taken out a handful of them before retreating. The team leader told her that they were just piled up all over the place, useless and destroyed. Dani could not understand who or what had done it, unless Hadrell’s team had gone in again without her knowing. She called to confirm, but Hadrell had no idea what she was talking about. Perhaps there was a rogue Resistance force nearby that was racking up kills for humanity. Whatever the reason, Commander Ramos was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

The Commander had received reports from Cheyenne Mountain that the bombing had been successful. It taken the enlistment of some northerners with some very high-grade explosives. Dani had heard that Maggie Fischer from Fort Ripley, Minnesota had been behind the mission. The locals in Colorado had some difficulty penetrating the granite foundation of the mountain with conventional explosives. They had been using dynamite, but the process was long and kept drawing Legion’s attention. They would bomb the site and then scatter when the machines showed up. Rather than keep up the game of cat-and-mouse, the commander at Cheyenne Mountain called in his expert cousin. Maggie Fischer was only too happy to help. 

The fall of the northern Resistance forces had shunted Fischer’s people back into hiding. They weren’t moving supplies in huge numbers like they were after The Shove. However, Fischer’s base had a stockpile of depleted uranium weapons just waiting to be used. She took everything she had and went to Colorado the day the call for help came in. Within two days, Fischer’s people had caved the bunker in on itself. They could only hope at that point that Legion wouldn’t be able to access it. 

Dani realized the near-futility of the operation. If Legion had drawn its plans for the time displacement device up from the Cheyenne Mountain device, and the device existed before the war, then what would stop Legion from finding it again? She hated time travel. She had no idea if she could stop anything at this point. All the hope and fighting spirit she had instilled in others was beginning to fail her. She had decided not to send Grace back if that moment arrived. Dani wanted to just live out whatever time they had together, hoping that maybe, just maybe, Highgate could come up with a way to extend Grace’s life. It was not that Dani no longer cared about protecting her past self. She was just tired of the war. She was tired of all the death and destruction that every new day seemed to bring. She was tired of seeing Grace in pain all the time. There were no guarantees either way. 

Grace started unknowingly training her time travel replacement several days earlier. An augment named Olivia Jensen was a superior warrior. Dani had interviewed her personally when Olivia volunteered. She was smart, cunning, and volunteering for the right reasons. She had plenty of the proverbial patriotism toward the cause, but her main drive was that she just wanted to live. To Dani, that will to live far surpassed any loyalty to herself or the cause. Jensen had been caught in a firefight with Rev-2s one night, and took several bullets to her stomach and chest. One bullet tore through her reproductive organs, essentially sterilizing her. She had never had kids anyway, but that had sealed her fate. Olivia Jensen had nothing to hold her back from augmentation. Dani approved her application the same day. Grace delivered performance reports on every augment, no matter what level they were. Those with simple prosthetic limbs still learned to fight again. Full augments were expected to perform at much higher levels than any other soldiers. Now that Grace was a fully enhanced super-soldier, she was back to training. She had told Dani privately that Jensen showed a great deal of promise and would go to battle with her any time. The first mission Dani sent Jensen on; she had saved the lives of everyone on her crew. A group of Rev-7s had ambushed them. Jensen had managed to fight off two that were standing in the way of the team and their transports. Only one soldier was not on board when they took off. Jensen spotted him from the air and jumped off the craft to retrieve him. She had fought another two machines before getting him back on board. Jensen had crashed hard and almost did not make it. But her heroic actions gave people a renewed faith in the augmented soldiers. Jensen thought of others first, and was a kind soul. She reminded Dani very much of Grace. If Jensen’s top-level performance kept up, she would be Dani’s first choice for time travel. She felt selfish, but she didn’t care. She knew her younger version would not fully appreciate what Grace had been through. She didn’t want to waste whatever time the blonde warrior had left on a clueless child, even if it was herself. 

Dani sat in her office, reading the newest performance reviews that Grace had brought her. She lingered on the progress that Jensen was making, knowing full well that Grace was not holding anything back with her. The young blonde lingered in her office, lounging in the Commander’s arm chair. She leaned back in it sideways, throwing one leg over the arm, bringing the other up under her. Dani looked up at her once, taking in the sight of her beautiful partner. Grace was looking at something on the far wall, perhaps the map or the charts of the area. She could probably read them better than any human could from that distance. 

“Grace. You need a haircut.” 

“Yeah, I know. I just haven’t found anyone to do it yet.” Grace had let Ruiz give her the soldier’s bowl cut in the past, but she wasn’t up to finding anyone else to replace him. 

“I’ll do it tonight if you want.” Dani had cut her hair before and it looked pretty good. Grace made some kind of noise, nondescript. She pulled a book of military tactics and strategies off the bookshelf beside her and idly thumbed through the pages. 

“Dani, I’m really sorry about everything. I mean, I seem to have been nothing but a pain in your ass since we met.” Grace didn’t look up from the book. Dani stopped reading the review in front of her and stared at Grace. 

“Why would you say that?” 

“I feel bad. I just wish things had turned out differently.” Grace slowly closed the military book and replaced it on the shelf beside her. Dani stood up from her desk and walked around to face the blonde. She reached down and pulled Grace’s leg out from under her and pulled the other off the arm of the chair. 

“Sit up straight.” It wasn’t exactly an order, but it was spoken in the cool, calm tone of the Commander. Grace sat up, stretching a little bit. Dani turned and sat down in her lap. Instinctively, Grace’s arms went right around her. Their faces were inches apart. The room had a slight chill to it to begin with, but Grace’s body heat was immediately intense. Dani leaned forward, out of Grace’s embrace, and took her fatigue shirt off. She was only wearing a red tank top now. The resistance colors were red and black, so she technically wasn’t out of uniform. She relaxed back into Grace’s hold, now comfortable in her lover’s enhanced body heat. She let Grace hold her steady as she leaned to the side a little, to focus on the blonde’s gaze. Grace’s eyes were brilliant today. The color was a telltale sign as to whether she had turned off her HUD or not. She mostly left it on now, unless she and Dani were alone. “Grace, I don’t understand why you feel bad. Tell me about that.” Dani reached up and touched the scar on the blonde’s jaw. 

“You’re always saving me from the stupid shit I do. You take care of me for things that are beyond anyone’s control. You know, like when I have a fever or nightmares or I forget to eat, or if I don’t use my enhancements properly.” She broke off the eye contact. Dani wondered if Grace actually felt bad or she was just in need of reassurance. 

“Grace, you need to understand some things. First of all, you have saved my life more times than I can count. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. Not just because you hauled my ass out of dangerous situations, but because you believed in me all this time. You have supported me in life-saving ways, amor. I try to do the same for you every chance I can. These exchanges make us who we are to each other. I love you so much, Grace. I wouldn’t do any of this differently.” Dani lied. She wanted to change everything. If she had known better, or been a little stronger 20 years ago, she’d have gone with Grace to the bottom of a mineshaft. She had spent years believing Grace’s death at the dam was on her hands. She chose the spot for the final showdown, she refused to keep running when their chances were less than 15% for success. Carl’s arm had been ripped off, Sarah’s was dislocated, the EMPs were trashed, and Dani did not have a clue how to fight a Rev-9. 

“I do understand those things, Dani.” But she didn’t. Not really. “I just feel bad about the augmentation if I’m not going to use it for anything significant.” Grace was obviously referring to Dani’s decision not to send her back. 

“The augmentation was done to save your life, Grace. I mean, yeah, you would have lived without it, but I’d be pushing you around in a wheelchair right now, emptying your waste bag three times a day. What kind of life would that have been for you? You’d have never fought again, or walked, or even made love to me again.” Dani caught her eye this time, and detected just a hint of a smile forming on those beautiful pink lips. Grace had shut off the heads-up display for a moment of true humanity. “I know you want to do something major with yourself, something that really means something. But what if you don’t? You know that just being alive is something major to me?” Dani held Grace’s eyes, losing herself in her lover’s stare. 

“Kiss me, Commander.” Grace slipped her hand behind Dani’s head, pulling her gently forward. 

“Yes, Lieutenant.” Dani closed her eyes and let Grace make the connection. Dani was never disappointed in the blonde’s kisses. She was always gentle, always began softly. Dani was familiar with this kiss. In the seconds that it was happening, so slow and delicate, Dani knew that it would escalate when Grace opened her mouth. Dani couldn’t resist her, even with the metal in her body and the strange substance that replaced the blonde’s blood. It had made her mouth taste different. Dani was in love with the way Grace tasted before. This was alien to her. It wasn’t bad or intolerable. It was just different. Dani loved Grace, no matter what and she never tried to change that, even if she could. She knew she could get used to anything about Grace, except for the heat. Grace slipped her tongue out to meet Dani’s halfway, and that heat made Dani instantly wet. Grace had used her tongue against Dani’s neck, her breasts, and her mouth. But she had never made it any lower since her augmentation. And Dani was fascinated by how it would feel. Suddenly, Dani wanted to strip her clothes off right there in the office and let Grace have her way with her. She pulled away from the kiss, which was intensifying, through no fault of Grace’s. Dani looked at the clock on her desk. It was dinner time. They could eat and go home, where she would make Grace eat again. She kissed Grace one more time, quickly, and palmed one of her breasts through her t-shirt. Grace hadn’t changed out of the clothes Owens had given her at the infirmary. Dani had changed in her office, back into her uniform, since she was still acting in her official capacity. She always kept a clean set of clothes just in case. Dani squeezed Grace’s flesh, kneading and pulling gently. “When we get home, I want to feel your mouth on me. Everywhere.” 

Grace’s eyes lit up, not from the HUD but from a sudden onset of arousal and desire for Dani. She just nodded in agreement. Dani kept her hold on Grace’s breast, pinching the nipple between her thumb and forefinger. “If you don’t knock it off, Daniella, we’re never going to make it home.” Grace bent and began to nibble the skin of Dani’s neck, sliding one hand down between the brunette’s thighs. “I could take you right here, right now.” Grace whispered, tickling her fingers across the thin layer of material separating her from Dani’s aching clit. “And I know you want me.” Dani looked up at Grace. She’d reengaged the HUD and could no doubt read every physical reaction Dani was having right now. 

Dani had no resolve when it came to Grace’s sexual abilities, especially now. She just melted into her lover’s touch, letting Grace lead her down a path to animalistic pleasure. Sex with Grace had become primal. It was still gentle and intimate, but Dani could just lose herself now, every time. “Ok,” she whispered, feeling her heart beginning to race. "Just don’t make me scream this time. Not everyone needs to know you’re a fucking goddess in bed.” 

Grace laughed out loud. “Let’s go eat. We can pick this up later.” Grace gently pushed Dani up to a standing position. She stood up right behind her, wrapping her arms around the Commander. “I do love you, you know?” Dani leaned back into Grace, letting the blonde hold her protectively. 

“I know, amor. I know.” Dani put her hand over the one Grace had on her belly. She led the hand with her own, down into her uniform pants. “But you should know, I’m ready for you right now.” Grace slipped her fingers inside the cotton panties and gasped. Dani was soaking wet, and she felt so good. Grace stroked her middle finger through the wet folds, feeling her own heart pound harder. 

“Dani.” Grace whispered, rubbing the swollen bundle of nerves. Dani unbuttoned her pants to give Grace more access. The young blonde worked Dani’s wet slit with two fingers, teasing her entrance and working her clit and back down. Grace felt herself harden, and she pressed her hips into Dani’s lower back, dying for friction and contact. Dani moaned, grinding against her partner’s kind hand. Grace could smell everything happening with Dani’s body, and she loved it. “I want to taste you.” Grace growled. 

“No, you’re right.” Dani pulled Grace’s hand free, and stepped clear of the blonde’s grasp. “Let’s go eat.” Grace growled loudly, cupping herself. She breathed heavily, rubbing herself through her pants. Dani smiled at her. “Let me see you.” 

Grace bit her bottom lip, smiled, and pulled the sweatpants down to reveal her hard length. She held her shaft in her hand, stroking it slowly. Dani stepped toward her, taking hold of the hot flesh. Grace moaned loudly. Dani squeezed it softly, looking up into the blonde’s eyes. “Let’s go eat. When we get home, I’ll put my mouth on you. If you put yours on me.” Dani teased Grace with more strokes, holding the tip of Grace’s cock with her fingers. Grace grinned from ear to ear. 

“At the same time?” 

Dani nodded. “Whatever you want, lover.” She released Grace and pulled the sweatpants and briefs back up. Grace’s hard-on was still noticeable. 

“I can’t go to the mess hall like this.” Grace looked down at herself. 

“Will it down, make your body obey.” Dani backed away from her. She was absolutely serious. If Grace was so augmented, she should be able to control everything about her body. Dani watched the beautiful fair-haired soldier close her eyes, slow her breathing and concentrate on something unseen within her body. Dani rested against the edge of her desk, watching. The protrusion became less and less. She wasn’t sure Grace could actually do it. Dani felt a raw power in that moment, or at least the discovery of a sexual kink. Grace had broken a sweat, but had managed to put her physical desires to rest for the moment. “Well done, lover.” 

Dani took Grace by the hand and led her to dinner. The smile on Grace’s face stayed there through the entire meal. 

Lloyd Lloyd caught them right as they were about to disappear down the hall to a more private and safe venue. Dani could feel Grace’s annoyance at Lloyd’s presence. He never had good news. “Commander, I’ve got a couple of things for you that can’t really wait. First of all, Maggie Fischer has arrived. She wants to see you, asap. Second, the airport is lit up again.” 

“Fuck.” Dani hissed. “Ok, Lloyd. Let’s go look.” 

Grace decided to go home anyway. If there was a mission to go on right now, Grace knew she wasn’t cleared by medical to participate. Standing there with Dani as the news rolled in would only make it harder on her. Dani walked with Lloyd to the command station. Maggie was there waiting. She was still tall, still blonde, and still absolutely gorgeous. She reminded Dani so much of Grace. Maggie even had her hair cut short. They met and hugged briefly. “Maggie, it’s great to see you. It’s been years.” Dani began. 

“Commander, I’m just happy to be here, being useful. We were successful at Cheyenne Mountain. Those fucking robots will have to dig for a hundred years to get down there now.” Maggie was proud of her work. She asked about Major Emery. The truth was, Dani didn’t know where he was or if he was still alive. Everything was operating on a local level now. She told Maggie about the TDC at the airport, cuing Lloyd to tell her the news. The women turned then, as Lloyd pulled the display up on the room screen. Several stories below the airport, the infrared glow had restarted. It was different this time. Instead of one big glowing blob, it was several little ones. Dani didn’t know what to make of it. Had the machines found a way to independently power the airport? And if so, with what?” Maggie rubbed her chin, equally confused. Dani told the woman everything she knew about Legion’s plans to go back in the past and destroy everything. “We’ve gotta get down there, right now, Commander.” Dani could see the wheels in Fischer’s head turning rapidly. 

“That’s the plan. My team went out today and rigged the whole place with explosives. They said the runway is basically a machine graveyard right now.” Dani explained. Maggie considered it. 

“I’ve seen this before. When Legion can’t use a legitimate power supply, it starts to cannibalize it’s own machines. Legion will use individual power sources, no matter the cost. I think that’s what’s happening here. My crew is loaded and ready, Commander. We can go out there right now and blow that whole structure to Kingdom Come.” 

Dani searched the blonde’s eyes for a sign that this was even remotely going to work. Maggie seemed confident in her weapons and abilities. “Ok, Fischer. Let me suit up. I’m going with you.” 

Maggie nodded and headed to prep her team. 

Dani ran down the hall to go prepare Grace for the news. She wasn’t going to like it at all, but it was necessary that Dani get eyes on the airport. She needed to see this for herself. 

“Grace, I’ll be back in a few hours. Maggie Fischer is a professional. She won’t waste time. Intel says that we don’t have any extra machines out there to worry about.” 

Grace paced the room, ready to throw the chair into the wall. She felt like a caged animal. “Dani, I should be going with you. Who’s going to protect you?” 

“Grace, you’re not ready.” 

“Fuck that! I AM ready! You know it. You just don’t want to risk me again. You’re being selfish, Daniella. Let me fucking go with you.” 

Dani turned to leave the room. “No.” 

Grace stepped up beside her impossibly fast, slamming the door shut with one hand. It startled Dani, and she was suddenly afraid of what Grace could really do if she lost control. “Grace, I’m warning you.” 

“You’re warning me? This is fucking bullshit. I can’t believe you’re grounding me. It’s too dangerous out there for you alone.” 

“I won’t be alone. Jenson and Fischer will be there. Along with Fischer’s entire team.” 

“Oh well,” Grace threw up her hands mockingly. “In that case, I guess it’s all good.” 

Dani turned away and rested her forehead on the wall. “You seem to have forgotten what happened earlier when you carelessly turned off your display.” Dani didn’t want to remind her of a shortcoming. 

“Dani, I can’t lose you either.” 

“You won’t. I’ll be back.” The Commander slipped out the door and left Grace standing there, pissed off and alone.


	19. Knuckle Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “When the sun rises   
> I wake up and chase my dreams   
> I won't regret when the sun sets   
> Cause I live my life like I'm a beast   
> I'm a mothafucking beast.” 
> 
> \- Rob Bailey and The Hustle Standard

Grace slammed their door shut, listening to the echo of metal on metal crash through the hallway outside. Her hearing was sensitive now, and she nearly hoped it was not as loud to others around her. She cocked her arm back, feeling her anger and rage at the front of her consciousness. Grace slammed her fist into the heavy metal door. And then she did it again. Her strength was abnormal. She pulled her fist away, looking at the huge dent in the door. If she hit it one more time, she’d put her whole fist through it. She looked at her knuckles which were all bleeding. She wiped them off on her sweats and looked again. She’d scraped off the skin, exposing the wire mesh beneath. Her hand didn’t hurt one bit. And she knew that the skin would heal over within the next 24 hours. 

Why had Dani isolated her? Grace knew she should be going out on this mission, especially since the Commander was going too. Protecting Dani was Grace’s life’s work now. She existed purely to watch over the Commander, her lover. Grace felt bad about the door momentarily. She pulled out the iPod that Stacy had given her, put in the earbuds, and started her playlist. She opened the door and went for a walk, heading down to the lower levels of the Anaheim base. 

Maggie Fischer’s team was prepping for departure. They hadn’t unloaded much of their equipment when Fischer ordered the turnaround. Fischer’s team had manufactured some IEDs that were designed to be dropped from the air. They were detonated remotely. With any luck, a single device would create a domino effect on the explosives already set up around the airport. That way, the team would never even have to touch down. Dani was in her office, taking the extra moments to put on her armor. She ran her fingers through her short hair and forced herself to sit down. Her stomach was turning. What she did to Grace was completely unfair. The blonde warrior would never understand this level of pure selfishness. Dani had ordered the augment, Olivia Jensen, to accompany her tonight. Dani believed that in any case, whether it was Jenson or Grace who went back to 2022, she needed to emotionally distance herself from Grace right now. She had her reasons. She would do anything she could to keep Grace from going back. Dani just didn’t want to lose her, not now or ever. Dani strapped her helmet on, grabbed her rifle, and headed out. 

Lloyd caught the Commander right as she stepped into the command station. “Fischer ordered the layout of the explosives at the airport.” He handed Dani an old map of LAX, marked with several black x’s positioned around the complex. “It looks like it’s rigged up to demolish the whole area. That might defeat the purpose of getting in there.” Dani stared at Lloyd. He was right. This particular mission would endanger the outcome of everything. Commander Ramos needed a new plan. 

She ran to the loading bay with the map in her hand. Maggie was standing near the operator’s station, listening to the radio report from her pilot. He was on his way but had seen several HK’s patrolling the area. Fischer told him to land at the south tunnel if he hadn’t been spotted. She stood, waiting for him to report back. 

Dani arrived at the bay, breathless, waving the map to get Maggie’s attention. “We can’t...do this..” She huffed. Fischer walked toward her, taking the map. She unfolded it and held it out under the lights. “Those x’s show where my people rigged the explosives. My tech says it looks like it will destroy the whole place. If we drop anything on it, that’s exactly what will happen. If there are machines inside the TDC, we need to get to them. Bombing the place will make that impossible.” Dani caught her breath and straightened up. 

“Hmm. But I thought the device wasn’t operational.” 

“It’s not, yet. If there are terminators inside that chamber, they are still connected to the Legion network. Legion can operate them in any way to get that thing working. If we destroy the complex, we’ll never get inside. They could send something back in time and we’d never have a chance. This war will be over tomorrow, and humans won’t win. Do you understand?” Dani straightened herself up. “We can’t do this. Not like this.” 

Maggie looked at the map. She looked at Dani. Maggie could see the urgency and fear in the Commander’s eyes. “What do you suggest then, Dani? We have to do something. You saw what’s going on down there. Legion is using its own power sources. Our time is running out up here.” 

Fischer was right. They had to send a team inside. “We have to go in. That’s all there is to it.” Dani admitted. She didn’t want to do this. The angle of approach meant that her soldiers weren’t safe. Every ground operation against the machines led to certain death for too many humans. 

“Commander?” Dani turned to see Lloyd. He was white as a ghost. 

“What?” She took two steps forward. Lloyd turned, motioning for her to come with him. She followed with Maggie right behind her. 

The command station was lit up completely. Techs were talking in raised voices. The chaos was palpable. “What’s going on, Lloyd?” 

“There’s been a disruption.” He said, sitting down at his desk. He piled up some reports and set them down on the floor. He began clacking away at his keyboard, pulling up the latest feeds from LAX. “Look.” Lloyd replayed the feed. Dani watched in horror, as the glowing ring of Rev power sources began to glow hotter and hotter on the screen. The heat encapsulated the entire bottom half of the screen beneath the airport. Suddenly, without warning, the entire screen began to roll and warp. Lines of static interference crossed over the feed, until the entire thing went black. 

“Play the rest.” Dani commanded. 

“That’s it, Commander. Our radar is toast. Whatever happened fried all the electrical components we had in the area.” Lloyd looked just as confused as anyone else there. “Whatever happened, it was like a localized EMP blast.” 

“Do you think it’s operational?” Maggie asked, scratching her scalp. Dani looked at her for a moment before returning her gaze to the black screen. Whatever it was had taken out all the electricity in the immediate area. But Anaheim was safe, it seemed. Dani remembered Carl saying that there was a shockwave through time when something like this happened. There was no way to measure this, Dani realized. This technology was beyond the Resistance. It was something only machines seemed to have the ability to detect. 

“I think Legion just tested it.” Dani suggested. She felt sick. The room felt like it was moving. “Whether that test was successful remains to be seen.” Dani didn’t know if they’d all just disappear into thin air or everything would go black like the replay screen. 

“Commander? I’ve got a signal.” One tech in the front of the station stood up. She was no older than Dani was in 2022. The Commander made her way to the tech, who had an infrared map pulled up on her screen. “This is a backup radar. I programmed it to come online if the primary radar went offline for any reason.” 

“Good thinking, soldier. What are we looking at?” The screen showed the outline of the above ground complex, which was nothing new, other than it was hot now. The chamber several stories was glowing red and white. It was really hot down there. 

“If you look at the replay, you can see the ring of power sources getting hotter and hotter until, well, until they exploded, I guess. Now, here,” the tech pointed to the current readout, “this shows an afterglow. All this means is that the surroundings are hot in that chamber. Legion might have successfully brought it online and sent something through it.” 

“Or,” Dani pressed the tech to continue. 

“Or, they brought it online and it melted down.” 

Dani considered the two scenarios. One, she was still here, commanding the Resistance. Two, there was just no way to know without getting down there. “We’re all just shooting in the dark.” Dani knew Legion was smart, but it was limited, faulty, just like humans were. “Fischer?” 

“Yes, ma’am?” Maggie was right beside her again. 

“Do not go out there and blow up the compound. I’m going to assemble a team of augments to go with us at first light. We’re going to fight our way into that complex if it’s the last thing we do.” 

“You got it, chief.” Fischer left to brief her team on the new intel. 

Dani knew this was too close for comfort. There was no more time. She ordered one of Lloyd’s techs to locate Olivia Jensen and bring her to Dani’s office immediately. Jensen was probably still at the bay with Maggie’s team. Dani also needed Grace. She’d deal with her directly after meeting with Jensen. 

Olivia Jensen ran across the common area, sprinting past the command station, down the short hall to Commander Ramos’s office. She barely exerted herself. She knocked firmly on the metal door. She heard the call to come in, and stepped inside. “Jensen, sit please.” Dani offered her the chair opposite of hers. Olivia complied and sat down. “I have something unreasonable to ask of you. I wouldn’t do it if the fate of humanity wasn’t directly on the line here.” 

Jensen straightened up, suddenly very uncomfortable. “Ok?” She shifted in the chair, leaning forward toward Dani. 

“Look. We all know what the machines are doing underneath LAX. It’s only a matter of time until they are successful. I believe that Legion figured out how to successfully operate the TDC just now. Whether that test was, in fact, a success, remains to be seen. If none of us exist in the morning, we’ll know. On the other hand, if we’re still here, I will need to send someone back through the device to about 20 years ago, before Judgement Day, before I became who I am now. I will need someone to fight a Rev-9 with antique weapons and protect me at the same time.” 

Jensen did not say anything, but Dani could see the woman thinking about what she just said. “You see, Jensen, the whole point of this TDC is so that Legion can win the war by destroying me, in the past. I can’t let that happen. So, I will have to send someone back to defend me. Don’t ask how I know. I just know. Will you help me?” 

Jensen looked as if Dani had just spit in her face. “Commander, of course I will, but am I the best choice for this mission? What about Lieutenant Harper? She would be the best one to-” 

“She’s not going. That’s my final decision. But I need someone equal for the task. I believe you will be perfect for this mission.” 

“If that’s what you want, Commander, I’ll do it without hesitation.” Jensen searched Dani’s expression for something deeper, some kind of meaningful truth about this whole situation. Dani furrowed her brow, stood with her back straight. 

“Then it’s decided, Jensen. You will go. There are things you need to understand about the time I'll be sending you to.” Dani sat back down and began to discuss everything Jensen would need to know about 2022. She explained the car factory in Mexico City. She explained how Dani from the past wouldn’t understand what was happening. She warned Jensen against revealing any details about the future. She ordered the augment to get the coordinates of the safe house tattooed on her body somewhere. Dani tried to explain everything she thought would be important to beating the Rev-9. 

“When will I go?” Jensen asked, fully on board with the new mission. 

“We’re going into the airport at first light. In less than,” Dani checked her watch. It was almost midnight. “six hours. I suggest you make your way to the infirmary; get the list of medications you will need. Get the tattoo. There’s a tech in the command center who will help you with that. Get some rest if you can, and be ready to muster at daybreak.” 

“Yes, Commander. I’m on it.” Jensen stood to leave the office. Dani caught her on the way out. 

“Thank you, Olivia. You’ll be saving more than just my life. Everyone dies if I don’t make it.” Dani knew this was an undue amount of pressure on the soldier. She felt horrible for asking her to do this. Her selfishness was eating a hole in her like cancer now. The augment nodded and left. 

Dani had no time to sleep tonight. She had prep to do for the mission. She had to build a proper team to get her into the building. Hadrell’s team would be ideal for this situation, but She refused to call him in on such short notice. She needed the Resistance 1st Rangers, actually, but that wasn’t going to happen either. Most of them were first-years, not ready for this sort of operation. Dani needed to find Lieutenant Harper. Dani had to apologize to Grace. 

Commander Ramos took the long walk down the tunnel to their room. Outside the door, she noticed how the metal was convex in a spot that was eye level. It was hard to miss. On the inside, Dani looked at the caved-in metal. She knew exactly what this was. She ran her fingertips over the hole, hoping Grace was okay. She didn’t blame the blonde warrior. Dani knew she was furious. Where was she? Grace had not stuck around. Whenever they had argued or fought, Grace was known to go for long walks around the complex. Dani could usually find her on the lower levels, helping someone out that she didn’t know. Grace was kind to a fault. She’d get roped in to doing someone else’s job for a few hours because she was just a nice person. Plus, it kept her mind off of whatever she and Dani had fought about. Dani decided to start at the lowest level, near the generators, and work her way up. This would be less time consuming if she had more people helping her look. However, Dani wanted to see Grace alone. 

Grace walked alone down near the food lab. That place, she thought, was always going. The techs there never slept. They were always working on the latest versions of spinach and Spam. Grace thought the food lab smelled funny. Now, with her augmentations, it smelled even worse. She could detect the scent of cooking oil, meat substitutes, and algae. The combination was not pleasant. How these techs ever turned this shit into a meal was beyond Grace’s understanding. She jogged a little bit to get past the lab. 

She walked to the next level up, which was basically the guts of the Anaheim base. The servers for the command station were on this level. This hallway was particularly warm because of the heat generated by the equipment. Grace stopped to admire the rigged up wiring and black boxes that contained humanity’s secrets. She reached out to touch one of the servers, and it gave her an electrical charge. It wasn’t a shock, exactly, but more like an invitation to learn more. She touched it again, feeling the sensor pads beneath her fingertips tingle with excitement. She reached out and touched another server, this time watching her HUD deliver information to her brain about Legion’s known whereabouts and new operations. She closed her eyes and let the download take over. She saw everything happen at the airport in the last few hours. When it was done, Grace pulled back and touched a third server, which monitored weather and other meteorological events. What Grace noticed most was how disconnected everything was. There was a server to do one job, and one job only. From what her HUD and the Legion CPUs inside her were telling her, if she was careful, she could connect the weather server with the radar at LAX, with another server that kept time, and... could it be that simple? With just a few lines of code, entered by herself or a tech at the command station, she could create a rudimentary detection system, to measure chronal displacement from the TDC. She needed to run this by Dani first before she started messing around with the base computers. Legion had figured out how to measure the shockwave, at least that’s what her CPUs seemed to understand. Unfortunately, Grace realized, Dani was gone out on the mission. 

Grace turned up the volume on her iPod and continued walking up. She’d at least tell Lloyd what she had just learned. Maybe he’d let her do it. Grace was getting tired. She looked down at her knuckles. The wire mesh was still visible, but the edges of her skin looked less torn. She brought her knuckles up to her lips and ran her tongue along the mesh, just to feel it intimately. The taste was off-putting. It tasted like metal and motor oil. She dropped her hand to her side, hearing footsteps down the next part of the circular hallway. She could hear whoever it was coming from a distance. As she listened, her CPUs processed the weight of each footfall, the distance between steps, and she even picked up the regular heartbeat of Commander Ramos. Grace wanted to turn and run the other way. Dani shouldn’t even be on base right now. Why had she stayed? Grace decided to see what was going on. Her curiosity was stronger than her anger. 

Dani came around the curvature of the hall. Grace was leaned against the wall, waiting. When Dani saw her, she picked up her pace. The blonde looked down at her tennis shoes, kicking something on the floor that wasn’t there. “Why are you still here, Commander?” Grace asked without looking up. 

“Grace, please. We don’t have time for this. I need you. We need you. I owe you an apology, but I can’t give it right now. We’ve got bigger problems.” 

“Dani, I need to show you something. Please, come with me.” Grace turned around and led her back to the servers. Dani tried to argue with her the whole way, but Grace could not be swayed. Once at the servers, Grace showed her the new wiring design that would give the Resistance the ability to measure the space/time continuum disturbance, on a very basic level, but it would be better than just guessing. 

“Legion tested the device tonight. We don’t know if that test was successful. I’m thinking not, because we’re all still here right now.” Dani explained. She gave Grace the go-ahead to rewire the three servers. The blonde had shown her how simple it would be. All Lloyd would need to do is input a few lines of simple code to bring up new readings. 

Though Dani was interested in Grace’s discovery, there were still things to do in the meantime. “Grace, we’re going in to LAX at first light. There’s no other way to do this. If we blow the place and Legion has assets inside the chamber, we risk losing access. Operational or not, we have to destroy that device. I’ve prepped Jensen. She’s ready for the mission.” 

Grace looked away, hurt by the fact that Dani kept denying her request to go back. By this point, the whole conversation had been run through completely. There was nothing left to say. “Okay, Commander. If that’s your decision.” Grace completed the new wiring system, checking with her bare hands to see if everything meshed. So far so good, she thought. “I need to go talk to Lloyd.” The blonde turned and walked away from Dani without even looking at her. 

Dani knew she was upset about things. First, the Commander forbid her to go on a simple recon mission, and now, she’d betrayed Grace’s loyalty to her by agreeing to send someone less qualified back in time. She wasn’t going to leave it like this. She ran to catch up with Grace, but the blonde warrior had disappeared. Fuck it, Dani thought. It was out of her hands. 

Upstairs, Grace joined Lloyd’s tech team. She read out her HUD visual of the new codes that would help the three servers work together as a sensor. She watched as Lloyd carefully punched in every single character. He read it all back to her twice to make sure it was accurate. With the stroke of a button, the new sensor came onscreen. It began reading out all kinds of information about what was going on at the airport. It did not, at this time, detect a chronal displacement event. Legion had simply burnt out its power sources getting the device online. According to the new sensor, it looked like Legion did have it online, but the machines did not have enough power to operate it correctly. That would change in a matter of hours. As soon as new machines were called in, Legion would cannibalize them for their reactors. Although the news helped the Resistance move forward, this was not good news by any means. 

Dani appeared right as the sensor went online. She stood behind them, silently watching the information come forward. They had hours left. Her heart began to race. She felt herself sweating now, and her breath hitched. Grace turned around. Dani knew Grace heard everything going on inside her. Even without enhancements, Dani believed that Grace would have detected her terror. She watched Grace swallow something invisible and walk toward her. “Please, Grace. There’s no more time. Come home with me. Please.” Dani looked up into the glowing blue eyes. She begged again, without words and without touch, simply with a look. Somehow, Dani knew sending Grace back in time was not out of the question. If the time loop was infallible, Dani would send her back no matter what. That meant this could be their last night together, and Dani Ramos didn’t want to spend it fighting. 

Grace detected every bit of fear in her partner. It was almost as if Dani were emanating the truth through her physical body. Grace could understand that and read it like a book. She sighed heavily, trying to let go of her anger and feelings of betrayal, and let Dani take her home.


	20. Nexus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “the stillness in your eyes  
> convinces me that I  
> I don't know a thing  
> and I been around the world and I've  
> tasted all the wines  
> a half a billion times  
> came sickened to your shores  
> you show me what this life is for.” 
> 
> -Live

Dani decided to walk Grace the long way home. The journey would only take a few extra minutes, and the Commander tried her best to slow the augmented soldier down even more. Dani’s heart was heavy and full of dread tonight. She wanted every last moment with Grace, in case things went to hell in the morning. The entire mission could fail before they even got through the door at LAX. Jensen could fail in the past. Grace might never forgive her beyond this walk they were taking. Dani knew there to too many unknowns tonight. She only wanted the one thing that made sense. That was time with Grace. 

As they meandered down the curved hall, taking the back way, Dani reached out to take Grace’s hand. The blonde seemed not to mind, but didn’t give back the normal squeeze. Her hand was warm and limp in Dani’s grasp. “Grace, stop.” Dani pulled the blonde to a standstill in the hall. Grace turned to look at her, waiting for whatever was coming next. Grace didn’t know what Dani wanted anymore. The Commander’s emotions and decisions were all over the place right now. Grace didn’t think that anything she could do would be right. Dani looked up, examining Grace’s electrified stare. She suddenly didn’t know anymore what was Grace and what was the augmentation. She felt lost and helpless to stop all of this. Dani looked back down at her feet, shifting uncomfortably. “I need you to gather a team. I want the augments you’ve been training with to be ready to go at 0500 hours. Lloyd is getting the techs up to speed on the device and-”. Grace cut her off with a finger under Dani’s chin, lifting her head to look at her again. 

“Ok. I’ll get them. Do you want me to do it right now? It shouldn’t take long. I knock on doors all day around here.” Grace heard movement behind them. She turned to look over her shoulder at a group of female recruits headed toward them. Of course, they hadn't made it around the curve of the hall yet. Her HUD had simply detected them. She let her eyes linger in that direction for another moment as the girls came around. She turned her attention back to Dani. The Commander looked like she was about to fall to pieces. 

“Yes. They need to be as ready as possible. Have them eat, pack food, meds, and get any rest they can for now. You need to do the same.” 

“I’m going with you?” Grace’s voice lilted at the end of the question. She took a step closer to Dani, moving out of the way of the group of recruits. Their soft giggles were obviously directed at the two officers standing too close to one another. It made Grace smile knowing that teenage antics were still going on. It made her hopeful for the next generation. 

“Everything depends on this mission. I have to ensure the success of it any way I can.” Dani dropped her gaze from Grace to the girls traveling behind them. Some of them looked back to stare at the Commander and Grace again. They laughed and carried on. 

“Dani, I don’t know how I feel right now. I feel a bunch of stuff all at once. I feel afraid for you in the past. I feel afraid for us in the future. I’m confused about the time travel issues, and I’m afraid that you’re not stable enough to make decisions like this right now.” Grace moved and leaned against the wall, letting the next set of boots go by them. She crossed her arms over her chest. Dani stared at the scars traversing Grace’s hands, winding up her arms and disappearing under her shirt sleeves. 

“That’s a lot of fear, Grace. Do you want to relieve me of my command, if you’re unsure of my mental state?” Dani was being completely serious. She’d let Grace have full charge of everything if she believed she could do it better. For once, it would be great not to have to make all the decisions that affected everyone on the planet. 

Grace leaned forward a little, lowering her voice. “No, and don’t you dare say that out loud again. I just need you to know how I feel. I can detect every feeling you have right now. I know you’re scared, Dani. I just wish you’d keep my counsel in times like this. Be inseparable from me. I’m not just protecting you physically. I’m here to keep you safe.” Grace reached out and pressed gentle fingers into Dani’s chest. “YOU. Dani, you mean everything to me. I will do anything you ask, including staying behind on missions. That’s how devoted I am to you. But you can’t do this alone, and I don’t want you to do it with a group of strangers.” Grace meant Jensen and the new augments. It was true, Dani only knew Grace personally. “I know you’re trying to be strong. I know you’re trying to do what’s best for everyone, including me, but it just feels like you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.” 

“Grace, I have my reasons.” Dani objected even though Grace was on her side. “I just don’t...want to lose you again.” 

“That’s selfish, Dani. You know it.” Grace leaned back, waiting for the brunette to lay into her about duty and honor. The Commander remained silent. She looked away, seeing some invisible thing in her mind. “I don’t know what tomorrow will be like. No one can know if the past will change the future this time. You’re the only one who’s been through it.” 

“Not this part.” Dani shook her head. “And not the next part either. I will still be here, left behind. And yeah, it’s selfish, and it’s sad; but I don’t want to be left here without the only person in the world that I care about. If I have to do it alone, what’s the point of all of this?” Dani looked up at Grace defiantly, daring the blonde warrior to push her further. Grace nodded, understanding the very human needs that Dani felt. She felt it too, but if she went back in the past, she’d have Dani at her side again. Grace could detect the elevated heart rate from her partner, the temperature increase. She decided not to question the Commander further. 

“Come on, I’ll walk you home before I raise the team. Grace turned around and hunched over in front of Dani. The Commander laughed, smiling for the first time in what felt like years. She leaned over on Grace’s back, wrapped her arms around her neck, and let Grace pick her up. Dani lifted her legs and Grace cradled them in her arms. A piggyback ride. She kept laughing as Grace started bouncing up and down, walking them in a zig zag pattern through the hallway. Dani buried her face in the young blonde’s neck, kissing the skin there, gently biting. She loved the way Grace played. It reminded her to find the joy that wasn’t there much anymore. Even as an analytical augment, Grace was still very much human. 

The blonde warrior arrived with Dani at their door. She looked at the raised spot on the outside of the metal, where she had punched it earlier. Dani saw her look at it, and watched the flush of her partner’s skin as embarrassment washed over her features. “We’ll talk about that later,” Dani told her. “Be quick, Lieutenant.” 

“I won’t be long, Commander.” Grace dipped her head and kissed Dani in full view of a couple soldiers standing only a few doors away. One of them was Stacy Lewis. Grace looked at the girl, noting that her bodily responses indicated some anxiety and jealousy. It made Grace smile as she walked back the other way to go prep her team. 

Dani went inside, and ignored the hole in the door. She took off her boots and moved across the room to her bookshelf. She pulled the Cheyenne Mountain file down and opened it. She looked over all the specs of the TD device. She’d need to get this to the techs asap. Dani thought about all of the things that had happened since Carlsbad. The introduction of the Rev-7s and 9s, the loss of life, The Shove, Highgate, even now with the Anaheim Project; Dani wished she had written more things down. Every spare moment she had, when she wasn’t sleeping or running things, she had spent with Grace. She had fallen in love and started a life with the warrior. Dani believed the only thing she had to remember any of this by was, in fact, Grace Harper. Every time she looked at the augmented soldier, she could recall every single moment spent over the last 7 years. She was terrified that if Grace left her tomorrow, she’d forget everything. Grace anchored her to this world. Seven years was not enough. It was just not enough time. A lifetime wouldn’t have been long enough for Dani. Two lifetimes, even. 

Stacy Lewis was talking shop with another medic, still standing in the hallway when she heard the Commander’s voice. “Lewis. Come here a second, please.” Stacy excused herself from the conversation and jogged down to Dani’s door. The Commander stepped out, shut the door, and handed Stacy the thick file. “This needs to get into Lloyd’s hands.” She didn’t explain anything else to the girl, but watched as Stacy began to open the file. 

“May I?” Stacy paused, seeking permission to look at the sensitive material. Dani waved and nodded. What did it really matter at this point, who saw the device’s design? Stacy opened the package, taking in the details about the device. There was a high magnetic field, high voltage electricity; enough to burn human flesh in a half second. “Jesus,” Stacy whispered to herself. “This is what Legion is doing? When’s their destination? Their target?” Stacy looked up from the file, seeing tears in Dani’s eyes. The Commander couldn’t even speak about it properly. “It’s you, isn’t it? They’re going to go back and …" Stacy knew. “Commander, you have to send someone back to protect you.” It was like Stacy could read Dani’s fate right in the detailed schematic in her hands. 

“Please, Stacy. Just take it to Lloyd. He’ll know what to do.” 

Stacy nodded, pausing for a moment. “When is this happening?” 

“First thing in the morning. We’re going in.” Dani tried to steel herself against the truth of it. She bit her lip and swallowed hard, looking every bit the Commander as she could manage. Stacy fell forward, hard, against Dani, locking her in a powerful hug. “Please be careful, Dani. I don’t know all the information, but this looks really fucking dangerous to everyone involved. Literally everyone in the world, I guess.” 

Dani held the girl tightly, not sure if she’d see her again. If the mission failed before they got to the TDC, Dani could die in the ensuing fight. If the mission was unsuccessful with Jensen at the helm, the timeline could collapse and everything would cease to exist. The only way to ensure Dani would come back tomorrow hinged on a complete uncertainty. “I know. I’ll do my best, kiddo.” Dani pulled away from her right as Grace came jogging around the corridor. “Please, take this to Lloyd.” 

Stacy turned to Grace just then, and stepped in to hug her as well. Grace looked over the girl’s shoulder at Dani, confused and concerned. Dani shook her head and looked away. “Protect her, Grace, no matter what.” Stacy whispered. The girl had lost her entire family. Her family now were Grace and Dani. Stacy felt Grace nod against her cheek. The blonde held the girl carefully, but not too close. Stacy pulled away, file in hand, and ran down to the command station. 

“What was that about?” Grace asked as Dani pulled her into their room and shut the door. 

“She just loves us.” Dani whispered. She pulled Grace into the center of the room. “Take your shirt off, Grace.” Dani moved out of the way and pulled the little folding chair out of the closet. She turned back around and inhaled sharply. The sight of her lover’s body was not unkind to her. Grace had put on weight, restoring her physical appearance. Not only that, but she’d packed on more muscle. Her enhancements utilized every calorie and nutrient she ate. There seemed to be no fat at all. Dani visually traced every line and curve of muscle she could see, all the way to the deep cut V in Grace’s abs, disappearing into her sweats. The blonde warrior was covered in scars, some from the augmentation, some from battle. Dani wanted nothing more than to stop everything, taking all the time in the world to touch and kiss every line and indentation on Grace’s body. She realized the horrors of what Grace had been through. She felt it all intimately, looking at her partner. Grace’s existence was tragic, but the woman was full of life and love. Dani’s heart felt like it was being wrenched out of her body. “Sit, please.” Dani whispered. 

Grace lowered herself into the chair. Dani retrieved a clean towel, her scissors, and a comb from the bathroom. Slowly, and gently, Dani wrapped the towel around Grace’s shoulders, tucking it in behind her neck. She ran her fingers through the blonde mane, not wanting to let any of it go. She loved Grace this way, shaggy and unkempt. But Grace needed every visual and aural advantage she could get on the battlefield tomorrow. Grace closed her eyes and hummed the Spanish love song, low, deep in her chest. The Commander stood behind her, planting a soft kiss on top of Grace’s head as she hummed out of tune. Dani began clipping away bits of hair, and she sang the words to Grace. She tried not to cry, but she got choked up on the words. Grace slid down in the chair a little bit, and leaned her head all the way back to look up at the Commander. Dani held the scissors in her hand, on top of a strong, warm shoulder. She stared down into the deep blue eyes of the woman who adored her infinitely. Dani lowered her head and landed a delicate kiss, upside down, on her partner. Grace’s hands came up, running through Dani’s short hair, holding her steady. The blonde opened her mouth in an invitation to more. Their tongues met, sliding against each other, top to top. It felt new and familiar at the same time. Dani felt Grace smile against her mouth. It made Dani smile too, knowing her lover was right there, and there were no more hard feelings between them. The Commander broke the kiss first, pushed Grace’s head back up and resumed the haircut. Once she was satisfied, she pulled the towel away and threw it in the corner. She moved around to face the blonde, looking at her work. It would do the job. 

They showered together next, taking advantage of the hot water and each other’s company. They took turns scrubbing each other down, washing each other’s hair, touching and kissing. They whispered to one another sweetly in the hot steamy bathroom, expressing their love and devotion. When the soap and shampoo had been completely washed away, Grace just held Dani against her. Somewhere inside her augmented self, Grace understood this might be their last night together. 

Dani asked Grace if she would like a drink, to settle her nerves. Grace was beyond nervous and scared, just like the Commander. She refused, not wanting to dull any of her senses on this night. Grace turned to the closet to find something to wear. “Please, don’t.” Dani said from across the room. Grace turned to look at her, watching her crawl into bed naked. The clothes were forgotten as Grace made her way to the Commander’s side. She pulled the cotton sheet up over the two of them, and rested on her side to face Dani. Grace stared intently into Dani’s deep brown eyes, remembering the geode on the bookshelf behind them. 

Grace reached out, barely touching Dani’s cheek with her thumb, trying to memorize every line, every scar and blemish. Grace recorded the curve of Dani’s mouth, loving how it naturally turned down. Grace ran her thumb across the bridge of Dani’s nose, up between her eyebrows, across her forehead. She traced the outline of each amber colored eye, pausing now and again to lose herself in them. Grace willed her HUD to shut down for a bit. She had eaten recently and taken her medications. She didn’t feel like she was in any danger tonight. Dani always had something on standby now anyway. Dani put a solid hand on Grace’s shoulder, pushing her onto her back. She pulled the sheet away, exposing them both. Under the dim light of the bedside lamp. Dani began to touch Grace. She began with the blonde’s face, tracing the same pattern across her skin that Grace just did with her. Grace turned her head, keeping eye contact. “Grace,” Dani searched for the right words. She let her fingers glide across the skin of the blonde’s throat, feeling her swallow. Dani knew she did it on purpose, to give the brunette something to feel. Dani traced the augmentation scars across Grace’s chest, touching lightly where the lines crossed. She ran a finger softly over the round scars where hardware had been bolted into place. Dani touched Grace’s breasts one at a time, not to necessarily arouse her, but just to remember that part of her. Grace studied Dani’s face, watching the Commander have a private conversation with her body. The blonde folded her arms behind her head, as Dani continued to the scars over her belly. Each line told a story about what had been removed. The scars told Dani what had been inserted in place of those things. She continued down to the patch of blonde pubic hair, rubbing it gently with her palm, letting her fingertips brush against the soft penis below. So far, she had not received a reaction from Grace. “Do you want me tonight?” Dani would give Grace whatever she wanted this time. Any part of Dani’s body would be hers for the taking. All she needed to do was say so. 

Grace had an easier time controlling herself when the HUD wasn’t talking to the rest of her enhancements. The display sometimes acted as an autopilot feature, that left Grace feeling out of control. The blonde turned back on her side, facing Dani. She didn’t want to talk anymore. She wasn’t sure what she wanted, but she felt like words could do her emotions and desires no justice. She reached out and pulled Dani by the back of the neck, toward her. Grace ducked her head just a little, rubbing her cheek against Dani’s, loving the way the Commander’s face felt against hers. The soft hairs of their skin caressed each other, sending shivers down Grace’s augmented spine. “I will always want you, Daniella,” Grace whispered, gently kissing the skin near her ear. “I want something different tonight. Something you suggested earlier, before we were so rudely interrupted after dinner.” Grace pulled back to check Dani’s reaction, wondering if the offer held true. 

Dani remembered exactly what she had said. She looked down at Grace’s shaft, noticing how it began to swell without her even touching it. Dani nodded in agreement, locking eyes with Grace. The blonde shifted onto her back, beckoning Dani to move higher. This was something Dani had never done before, with any past lover. She got up on her knees and let Grace shift, settling her head between Dani’s thighs. The strong arms that enfolded Dani’s back and hips told her she was safe to explore this, to feel it. She lowered herself down until she felt the blonde’s hot tongue drag along the outer folds of her body. She gasped loudly at the purely erotic sensation. From her position, facing Grace’s body, Dani watched the blonde’s length come out more and more. Dani breathed hard, leaning forward a little to continue her touches to the blonde warrior’s form. Grace slipped her tongue deeper, sending a tidal wave of pleasure through Dani. 

“Oh God, Grace.” Her breathing became unsteady, her heart pounded. Dani closed her eyes, just feeling what Grace was doing to her. The hand on Dani’s back slipped to her hip, along with the other one. Grace pulled her down further, burying her face between Dani’s thighs. The Commander opened her eyes long enough to see Grace’s cock come to life. She lowered herself down onto her elbows, taking in what Grace was offering her. The blonde moaned again and again as Dani began to really work her. Dani felt that gentle, yet hot tongue caress every part of her, from her clit all the way to her ass. There was no part of her left unchecked by Grace. She felt strong hands on her hips and her back again. Grace was everywhere. Dani laid her weight down, making that essential contact with her lover. She took every bit of Grace’s shaft into her mouth, her throat, sucking and licking, massaging, worshipping. As much as this pleased her physically, it was not enough for Dani. She needed to connect emotionally with Grace and keep things at that level. Reluctantly, Dani pulled away. 

Grace groaned out her dissatisfaction. “Wait. Don’t go.” The blonde reached out for her, catching her by the wrist before she could get out of bed. 

“I’m not going anywhere, my love. I just need... I ...Grace.” Dani could not finish the thought. The emotions that burned deep inside her were just behind her lips, dancing on her tongue. She wanted to ask Grace to drop everything and run away with her forever. She wanted to fuck Grace so hard that she exploded into a million pieces. Dani wanted Grace to make love to her the way she believed she deserved, but she didn’t know how to ask for any of that. 

In that moment, Grace saved Dani from having to ask for anything at all. Grace just seemed to know. She reached out and pulled Dani back down and rolled on top of her. She carefully adjusted her weight, as not to overwhelm the petite brunette. A careful hand pushed Dani’s thighs apart, allowing Grace to settle between them. With one fluid movement, Grace was buried fully inside of her lover. She exhaled sharply, allowing herself to purely feel the sensation of Dani’s body clench and hold her tightly inside. Grace began to pant, but willed herself to control it. She dipped her head and kissed the Commander, once, twice, three times, letting her lips brush across the skin of Dani’s face and jaw. “You are my home, Daniella Ramos. Wherever you are, I will go.” Grace reached for Dani’s hands, pinning them up by her head, holding her steady. “I will love you until the end of time.” Grace pulled almost entirely out and so slowly pushed back in, feeling every inch of Dani engulf her. Dani rocked her hips up to meet the blonde’s, taking the opportunity to wrap her legs around her hips. This pulled Grace in closer. Grace squeezed Dani’s fingers in hers, looking into the brunette’s eyes, searching for everything she could hold onto. The look floored Dani. She had never seen Grace look so thoroughly into her before. Everything Dani thought she needed was, in that instant, erased by the feeling of complete and utter safety and protection. Dani couldn’t think of a single thing to say that would come close to what Grace was doing and whispering. She just held the eye contact, held Grace’s hands, held her at the hips, and let herself be one with the blonde warrior. It was the only thing that either of them ever wanted from each other. 

Grace rocked her slowly for what felt like years. It was not fast, or rough, or too much. Their lovemaking was pure and true, perfect. Dani had a series of delicious orgasms, each brought on by the friction from rubbing against Grace’s body. Grace angled herself the last time, letting Dani’s clit rub along her shaft as she stroked the brunette slow and deep. Dani cried out, arching her back hard, letting the euphoria of Grace’s love wash through her. “Grace, you can let go now.” She whispered, feeling beads of sweat roll off of her scalp and down her neck and back. Grace kept her steady rhythm, gently pumping her hips in time with Dani’s heartbeat. She felt her own climax begin deep inside her core, radiating out all over her. “I love you, Grace,” Dani whimpered. “I always have. I always will.” Grace began to move faster, thrusting deeper. “That’s it, Grace. Harder.” The blonde warrior felt aggression rise in her, but managed to control it enough to please Dani. She ramped up her pace, feeling her orgasm begin to rush over her. “I want you to give me everything, Grace.” Dani whispered, letting go of the blonde’s hands, to wrap her arms around her. She pulled Grace down against her completely as the blonde began to release. It wasn’t explosive or painful. Everything inside of Grace’s body flowed out of her, into Dani. As the young blonde began to ease down, Dani whispered something in Spanish. Grace had no idea what she was saying, but somehow, she already knew what was said. Her augmentation had already processed it for her. 

They laid together and touched, kissed, and loved each other for as long as they could. Dani fell asleep for a while, letting Grace hold her close. The blonde didn’t need much sleep anymore. She clung to the love of her life, protecting her while she found some respite from her internal war.


	21. The Displacement of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "But if you want to leave, take good care  
> Hope you have a lot of nice things to wear  
> But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there
> 
> Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world  
> It's hard to get by just upon a smile  
> Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world  
> I'll always remember you like a child, girl."
> 
> -Cat Stevens

Dani’s alarm clock sounded just before 0430. She rolled over and slammed her palm down over it, silencing the damning noise. She laid there, still, looking at the time, holding her hand over the bells. This was it, she thought. The fated day had arrived. Nerves took over her body in the place of restful sleep. The adrenaline dumped into her veins and she began to breathe hard. Her pulse quickened until she could hear it pounding in her ears. The gentle hand on her back was the only solace she found in the oncoming nightmare. Grace’s steady, warm hand pulled her back around. Dani rolled to face her, letting Grace pull her into a close hold. 

She eyed the warrior beside her, who was clearly awake. “Did you sleep at all?” Dani whispered, leaning in to kiss her partner. Grace shook her head, slipping her soft, wet tongue into Dani’s mouth. She pulled Dani up to rest on top of her, beginning their exploration of each other. Dani loved when Grace made love to her in the morning. “We don’t have time.” Dani protested, trying to push away from Grace. The blonde’s grip was strong, insistent. 

“Remember what you told me?” Grace whispered, placing gentle kisses across Dani’s neck, stroking her back with careful fingers. Dani reared back, giving Grace an inquisitive look. A familiar, cocky grin spread across the blonde’s face. “At Carlsbad. When I was leaving to go retrieve the trucks.” Grace watched the flash of recognition appear in the amber eyes of her lover. 

Slow down. They can wait. 

Dani bit her bottom lip, closed her eyes, remembering the moment Grace slowed herself during their heat. She didn’t do it for the Commander of the Resistance. Grace did it for Dani. The brunette lowered herself completely onto Grace, feeling the warrior hold her everywhere. Dani shifted her legs apart to receive Grace. Without concern for time or place, they made love to each other one more time before the inevitable call of duty became impossible to ignore. 

The fated lovers kissed, breathing in each other’s breath, as if they shared a set of lungs. Grace willed her enhancements to control her heart, keeping pace with Dani’s heartbeat. Their touches were fire, but loving and gentle, each caressing the skin of the other wherever they could find purchase. Dani moaned her beloved Grace’s name over and over as her orgasm took her. Grace called her Daniella one more time as she came inside of her. There was no time to linger. They had to go. 

Dani dressed quickly in her work uniform. She knelt and laced her boots, stealing glances at Grace, who was doing exactly the same thing. They took a couple of moments to share food and water in the privacy of their room. Grace looked up from a mouthful of granola, seeing the pain in her companion’s eyes. She could detect the swell of fear and anxiety, she could see the heat in her lover’s eyes forming as the tears began to fall. Grace moved down onto the floor between Dani’s legs. She looked up, taking Dani’s face into her hands. “Talk to me.” 

“Whatever happens today, please don’t leave me.” Dani begged her this time. There was no more room for orders or demands. This wasn’t official. The emotions came from somewhere so deep inside, Grace hadn’t even tapped into it yet with Dani. The brunette sobbed, falling against Grace’s shoulder. Grace’s breathing hitched. She knew the possibilities as well as Dani. She had made peace with returning to 2022. Dani pulled back and stared into Grace’s eyes. “Promise me.” 

Grace opened her mouth to speak. She breathed hard. “I can’t.” Dani bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. She knew that if it came right down to it, Grace would go back. The blonde warrior enfolded her in strong arms, holding her impossibly close. “I love you. I’ll do anything to protect you. Even if that means I never see you again. Fate will decide.” 

Dani pushed her off just then, staring at her defiantly. “No, Grace. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.” The blonde warrior stood, pulling Dani to her feet. Time had run out. 

The loading bay was pandemonium. Maggie Fischer’s crew loaded weapons and ammunition, explosives, and rations. Her motto was better to be overprepared for an occasion than naked without a weapon. Stacy Lewis spoke privately with Maggie, going over details of the TDC. She had spent the night with Lloyd, going over the specs for the TDC. Stacy was dressed in battle armor. She was going with them. She hefted a large bag over her shoulder, and turned around to see Grace and Dani coming toward her. “Don’t try and talk me out of it, Commander. You’ll need me today.” Stacy patted her bag. Dani had no argument in her now. The whole base could come if she thought they could help. 

“Commander, our intel reports have shown a new group of Rev-7s and 9s inside the compound now. Legion is starting to power up the device.” Maggie told her, handing her a report. Dani stared at it blankly. She knew what was coming. 

“Right. Load up!” Commander Ramos ordered to the entire crew. The doors of the south tunnel began to crank open, grinding and spitting out complaints as they went. Dani watched Fischer’s crew bow under the doors as soon as they were able, loading onto their Scorpion. A Dragonfly, borrowed from Captain Hadrell, waited separately for Dani’s team. Grace led 6 augmented soldiers outside, as Stacy, Olivia Jensen, and Dani followed. Once the human soldiers were loaded up, the aircraft took flight toward Los Angeles International Airport. 

Grace sat beside Dani, holding her hand. She rested her rifle between her legs. She felt weak today, despite being fortified with food and medications. Grace scanned all of the soldiers on the Dragonfly. They were all scared, nervous, with elevated blood pressures and heart rates. Olivia Jensen sat, cool and collected in the back of the rig. Grace couldn’t get a read on her. Jensen had shut down her augmentations for the flight. Her body was in complete hibernation. Jensen was asleep. Grace had only known one other soldier who could sleep on the way to dangerous missions. That was Adam Henry. She missed him deeply today, along with the rest of her trusted Rangers. She’d trade every single augment for any one of her old team. However, Grace looked around again, noting that the superior fighters she had today would be highly effective in the coming fight. She felt Dani squeeze her hand. She looked over at the Commander, who had steeled herself against her own fear. Grace nodded to her. 

The flight took less than fifteen minutes. The pair of transports dropped the soldiers right onto the tarmac behind the airport. Rev-s were on them instantly. Shots were fired even before every boot hit the asphalt. “Get behind me!” Grace screamed at Dani, stepping between her and a Rev-7. Grace’s aim was true as she blew the machine’s neural net to pieces. She unloaded her rifle into another machine, this time finding it was far less effective. The Rev-9 made spears out of it’s arms and began to run toward her. She flipped her rifle around, holding it by the barrel, and took three long strides toward the machine. Dani saw how fast she was now. Grace spun around as the Rev took a swing at her. She sidestepped it and swung her rifle right into its head. She followed through, knocking it to the ground. As it tried to recover, Grace reloaded and opened fire. It kept coming, despite having holes blown into it. Grace dropped the rifle, scanned quickly, seeing a rusty monkey wrench on the ground behind the machine. She tucked her head and rolled past the Rev, picked up the wrench and turned back to face it. The spears came at her again, She used the wrench like a hammer, slamming it into the spears, breaking them apart. She took swing after swing, pounding the machine’s head relentlessly. She heard shots ringing out all around her. “Grace!!!” Stacy Lewis’s voice boomed behind her. Grace used her HUD to slow things down enough to look at Stacy briefly. The girl threw something to her. Grace took one more defensive swing at the Rev, contacting its face, breaking the wrench in her hand. With her other hand, Grace caught the object Stacy had thrown. It was a grenade. Grace pulled the pin, and moved in close to the machine. She grabbed it by the jaw, forcing its mouth open for just a split second. It was all she needed to shove the grenade between its teeth. She dropped to the ground, covering her head with her arms. The explosion was hot, sending pieces of metal flying in every direction. Grace looked up to see the machine fall backward, completely offline. 

She turned back to see where Dani was. The Commander was holding her own against a line of Rev-7s, with Maggie, Jensen, and Stacy at her side. Grace pulled another clip from her pants pocket, loaded her weapon and took her place beside Dani Ramos. They fell back, step by step, into the baggage claim. The augments were all around them, taking out the 7s a piece at a time. Fischer’s crew were leading the way into the airport, clearing old, dead Revs and debris. It did not take long to find the elevator shaft, leading down four stories to the time displacement chamber. There was a trail of garbage left behind by Legion henchmen. Parts of machines, weapons, and piles of earth littered the way, creating a visible path for the soldiers to follow. 

Grace got them all inside, taking her position at the rear of the operation. She kept firing round after round into the remaining machines as she backed them all up. Jensen moved in to take Grace’s place, carrying more firepower and a belt full of grenades. “Go!” She yelled to the blonde warrior. “Keep her safe!” Grace didn’t hesitate. She nodded at Jensen, slipping past her into the airport. The group was far ahead of her. The building was dark, except for the red glow of the emergency lights. Legion was using power here, but diverting it somewhere, so that only the backup lighting systems were online. The red glow was creepy. Grace turned on her night vision, watching everywhere behind them for more machines. She heard several explosions outside, followed by Olivia Jensen yelling obscenities. Grace caught sight of the augment heading toward her. Grace turned to run to the service elevator. The shaft was huge, built for carrying far more weight than a normal passenger elevator. She could hear it coming back up. She and Jensen waited, tense, rifles cocked and ready to shoot. They were silent, scanning back and forth for threats. The place was spooky quiet. The elevator made a faint “ding” sound when it arrived. The two augmented soldiers stepped inside. That’s when Grace noticed the bloody footprint on the floor. “Oh shit,” she muttered. Someone was hurt already. Then she noticed that it wasn’t blood, not exactly. Augment fluid. She looked at Jensen, who was leaning against the wall of the elevator, holding her side. Grace turned to examine Jensen’s injury. It was bad. Her liver had been punctured, run through completely by a spear. It wasn’t exactly a death blow to an augment, but it would take time that they didn’t have to heal. “No fate, huh?” Grace whispered to herself. 

“What?” Jensen asked, running her own diagnostics. She was only vaguely aware of Grace’s presence at the moment. 

“Nothing.” Grace replied, wiping sweat from her brow. She unfastened the chin strap of her helmet and took it off. She let it fall to the floor of the elevator, and she kicked it away. She pushed her hair back, feeling a little more than tired. She needed water. Her canteen hung at her side, empty and broken where a spear had pierced it moments ago. She hadn’t even realized her entire leg was soaking wet. The explosion rocked the elevator, causing the emergency lights to shut off. It sounded as if the entire level below them had been blown up. Grace’s HUD measured the temperature below, along with the stability of the structure. If she had to guess, she would say that the Resistance soldiers had just blown the vault doors that led to the TDC. The elevator slowly came to a halt, and the doors opened, stopping halfway, stuck. 

Grace used her strength to pry them open as far as she could. She pulled Jensen against her and helped the soldier out of the elevator. She hauled Jensen down a narrow hall, toward the sound of soldiers yelling. Another explosion rocked the building. Grace lost her footing and fell, with Jensen, against the far wall. She righted them despite the blast, and kept moving toward the sound of humans. She could hear gunshots, she could smell smoke, and she could feel heat. 

Grace left Jensen with a medic and Stacy Lewis. “Her liver is damaged,” Grace said as she proceeded toward the vault. Her team of augmented soldiers crouched outside the doors which had been blown open. They were taking cover against plasma rifle blasts coming from inside the TDC. Grace hunched down next to a soldier named Ryan, who filled her in on the situation. The chamber was crawling with Rev-9s. Grace peeked around the door, quickly scanning the room before she pulled back. She saw a face in there. A man’s face. It was as familiar to her as her own family. She looked again, trying to get a look at the face again. A plasma blast kept her from seeing anything as Ryan yanked her out of the way. Grace felt a heavy belt being pressed into her hands. Grenades. She pulled the pin on one of them, and chucked the entire belt into the room. The first explosion caused a domino effect. It was enough of a distraction for her team to be able to enter the time displacement chamber. 

Through the thick cloud of smoke and the din of fire alarms, the room began to take shape. The device took up most of the room, which was almost the size of a gymnasium. Rev-9s were all over the place. There was a blinding flash of light, followed by the pop and bang of electricity. A hum began low and increased in volume and frequency until Grace thought her head would explode. Just like that, it was over. She looked up, seeing that the Revs were not attacking. They were completely still. Legion was just using their power sources, nothing more. They had no skin, nothing to make them look human. They were simple, utilitarian pieces, being used for their batteries to power the device. Grace scanned the room for the man who she swore was Amador Ruiz. Of course, it could not have been him. Her analysis of the situation told her a Rev-9 had killed and copied him. At least she knew what had become of her friend. The machine was nowhere in the room. She scanned her soldiers, checking to see if anyone had fallen and been copied. Everyone was accounted for. The fucking machine had gone through the device. Stacy Lewis had programmed Grace’s augments to detect the chronal displacement, much the same way Grace had programmed the Resistance computers at Anaheim. They all agreed: the signature was clear. 

Grace wanted to shut down the whole thing right then. She nearly gave the order for the hibernating Revs to be destroyed, when she realized the Resistance needed their power sources to jump again. She ran out of the room, to find Commander Ramos. 

Several soldiers had encountered more machines on the opposite end of the chamber, and were currently taking them down. Grace marched through the hallway, stepping over broken pieces of concrete and rebar. She climbed through a hole that had been made by grenades or some other homespun wisdom. She spotted Dani at the end of the hall, sitting on an ammo crate, surrounded by techs. 

Over the sound of distant gunfire, Grace made her presence known. “Commander! Legion’s assets have all been neutralized. The chamber is secured. My team experienced the event signature. A Rev-9 has gone through. To Mexico City.” Dani didn’t even take time to process the information. She shook her head, stoic through it all. She knew this moment would come. 

“That’s it, then.” She ordered the techs to start prepping the device for another jump. She asked Grace where Jensen was. Grace looked down at the ground and shook her head. 

“She took a spear through her liver upstairs. Stacy’s looking after her. Commander, she can’t go.” 

Dani looked back to the techs for confirmation of her order. They scrambled to get things going quickly. When she turned back to Grace, the blonde warrior was less than a foot away from her. “Send me.” The shockwave of the device had triggered minor earthquakes. The structure around them was unstable, shaking and crumbling. “Listen,” Grace began, adjusting the strap of her med pack across her chest. “You did everything in your power to prevent this moment. But here we are.” She held the gaze of the Commander, trying to be as gentle in this moment as she could. 

Dani looked away, disgusted and broken. Fate’s dirty, cold hands twisted around her heart and soul, spiritually disemboweling her. This could not be happening. Grace was right; she had done everything to prevent this from happening. But there was no one else to send back. She was out of options. “Here we are.” Dani’s voice broke. She tried in that few seconds to imagine her life without Grace, but she couldn’t manage it at all. 

Grace took a step forward and dropped to her knees. She looked up at Dani, into the eyes of her lover, her partner, her best friend. “Please.” She whispered, mustering every bit of courage and strength she could for both of them. “Let me save you.” 

Dani stared down at her. She felt a strong but soft hand on the back of her knee. Grace squeezed, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation, combined with her own devotion. Dani backed away from her and just nodded. She knew it was the only way. Dani Ramos had known for just over 20 years that this was the only way, despite all of the things she’d tried to do differently. She saved Grace as a child, but refused to keep her close in those early years. She hoped that had been enough to keep the blonde safe. Dani had vowed to Sarah Connor that Grace would not die for her again. The words echoed in her head, “but here we are.” Dani felt the imminent doom pressing down on all of them, on all of humanity. This was an infinite loop. No matter how they tried to change it, they were stuck on this path for eternity. Dani had one last card to play, and no one but she and Stacy Lewis knew about it. 

Commander Ramos grabbed a tech who had come from Lloyd’s command. She ordered up the coordinates of Carl’s house in Laredo, Texas and told the tech give her the tattoo gun. “Grace, come with me.” Dani urged her partner into a side room. It was nothing more than a supply closet. The dim red lights provided just enough illumination. Dani swept her arm across a table top, clearing it of cleaning supplies and towels. “Lay down, Grace.” She ordered. The blonde warrior looked at her in disbelief. She thought about making a joke, but the entire situation was too severe. Even levity in this moment was inappropriate. 

Grace sat up on the table, as Dani sat the tattoo gun down beside her. “Dani, I can remember whatever you need me to." Dani was at her side, unstrapping Grace’s chest armor, pulling it off. She pressed Grace back with a steady hand in the middle of her chest, ending the conversation. Grace relaxed back. Dani unbuttoned the blondes’ fatigue shirt, spreading it open. She pulled up her service t-shirt, exposing the abs she had very recently been kissing. Dani took a moment to gently run her fingers across Grace’s skin, burning the memory into her for all she was worth. They really didn’t have time for this. 

The device began to rumble to life again. The walls began to vibrate. Dani looked down at Grace. “These coordinates? You go there if you have any problems or doubts. A friend lives here. He will help.” Dani began to tell Grace everything she needed to know about 2022. “I will not be ready for any of this. I won’t be able to handle the truth. All you can do is protect me. But I will love you from the moment I first see you, Grace. That will always be true. And there will be a night. A single night, amor, when we are not running. I will want you, and want you to make love to me, but I won’t say it. All you have to do is kiss me, and I’m yours.” 

Grace couldn’t believe what she was hearing. There’s no way she’d give herself to any version of Dani but this one who was carefully drawing numbers into her flesh. “Dani, I don’t know if I can do that. I mean, I might find a way back to you.” 

“You won’t, Grace. You’re not coming back.” Dani finished the tattoo, rubbing the bodily fluid of her lover away with a towel. It was legible. She stood over Grace, “This is it, my love.” Dani felt the hot tears forming. She had to let Grace go. She would be able to let her leave in the next few minutes, forever. Her heart was shattering. Dani sobbed and gritted her teeth. She’d never be able to let this woman go in her soul. 

Grace sat up, pulling her shirt down. She shifted on the table and pulled Dani into a strong embrace. She powered down her augmentations for a moment and just felt her partner. “I’m sorry, Dani. I have to go. You have to live. You have to, or none of this matters. I’m so sorry, my love.” Grace stroked her back, her neck. Dani held her tightly, weeping against her shoulder. Grace reached out and stripped Dani’s chest armor away. She pulled at the fatigue shirt buttons, and finally was able to rake Dani’s shirt up high around her chest. Grace pulled her own up over her breasts, and pulled Dani against her for one final moment of contact. It broke Grace to do it. She leaned down and kissed Dani hard. This was not a kiss of desire or passion. It was not a kiss of claiming or possession. The kiss was one of simple belonging. They silently said “I love you. I will always love you. I will miss you beyond words.” There were just kisses, and gentle, soft touches, the private whispers that were only for them. 

The device began to shake the entire complex as it came online again. “Let’s get you ready to go.” Dani bit back her emotions, as Grace powered up her augmentations. They stepped out into the hallway to find Stacy standing there waiting with her bag. 

“Grace, according the Cheyenne Mountain files, the bioelectric field of the device will transport you, despite your augmentations, as long as you don’t have any open wounds. Do you?” Stacy stood, checking Grace’s arms and face. Her knuckles had healed over during the night. 

“I don’t think so.” Grace couldn’t be sure if she did or not. 

“Well, you have to go through completely naked, so I’ll check you on the platform. This way, Grace.” Stacy led her through the narrow hall into the vault. The Rev-s were all lined up, glowing red in the eyes and their centers. Grace took one look at them, turned her head and spit on the ground near them. She walked up onto the platform behind Stacy. Dani was right behind her, with a hand in her back. “Ok, Lieutenant, strip down.” Grace turned and looked at Dani for confirmation. There was sudden trepidation in Grace’s gaze, and Dani could see it. This moment could have defined everything. They could have run. But for how long before the Rev-9 found her and killed her in 2022? Dani helped Grace out of her clothes. She tried not to be stunned by the sight of her partner, as she usually was. Stacy fished a large bottle of something out of her bag. “I made this last night. According to the file, you need to be covered in a conductive fluid to allow the time field to see you as you go. It also helps slip you through more easily. Stacy handed the bottle to Dani. “Everywhere.” Dani took the substance and began applying it generously to Grace’s entire body. When she was done, Grace was soaking, and shivering. 

“It’ll be over soon, amor," Dani told her. Grace leaned down and kissed Dani one last time. 

“I love you,” the blonde warrior whispered, stroking Dani’s cheek. The fluid from her fingertips rubbed off on Dani’s skin a little, glistening in the light of the device. 

“I will never forget you.” Dani was tight. Her chest ached. She thought she might cave in. 

“Grace, we have to do this now.” Stacy ushered the blonde forward. 

In the center of the device was a small round platform. Stacy directed her to stand in the center of it. “Crouch down. You’re too tall to stand though this.” Grace did as she was told, getting down on one knee, bowing her head, curling herself into a tight ball. She placed her fists on either side of her. Stacy began pressing buttons on a keypad. Three concentric titanium rings rose up from below the platform. They began to move independently of each other, spinning like a gyroscope. Dani watched as the device sucked more power from the Legion machines. The noise in the room became a roar, as the circles spun faster and faster around Grace, creating a faint ball of light around her body. Lighting started to arc off the ball, touching the spinning circles. The bangs and pops of electricity became louder and louder. There was a blinding flash of white light that forced Dani’s eyes shut for a second. When she opened them, the ball was gone. Grace was gone. The device went dark, taking the Legion machines with it. There would be no more jumps. 

Dani swallowed it all down, staring at the small platform where Grace had been. Stacy turned to look at her. Dani turned her back and left the room without a word. 

Out in the hall, Commander Ramos ordered the immediate evacuation of every soldier. She found Maggie Fischer around the corner on her way to the elevator. “Blow this place to hell, Maggie.” Tears found their way into her eyes and down her face without warning. Dani dropped her head and let out a wail that would terrify terminators. Maggie Fischer ensnared Dani in her arms, holding her tight as she let go. Dani shook violently as she wept. She couldn’t control it any longer. The love of her life was gone... for the rest of her life. She couldn’t command these emotions any more. It just was what it was. It was a victory that felt like a defeat. It was the greatest loss of human life that Commander Daniella Ramos had ever felt. 

Aboard the transports, in the morning sun, Maggie Fischer remotely detonated a package of explosives. The entire airport blew up and caved in on itself. It would never be of use to anyone, or any machine ever again. Dani tore her eyes away from the pile of smoking rubble, and put her own hand in the middle of her chest. It was something she and Grace would do to end a conversation or a line of thinking. Dani was effectively ending the war with Legion.


	22. Epilogue

Commander Dani Ramos sat at her desk, sipping a glass of whiskey. Everything in the last few months had lost its flavor to her. She found it difficult to even breathe without Grace near her. She had to process the blonde warrior’s death, and she did it mostly alone, behind closed doors. Everyone at Anaheim had felt the loss of Grace, but none more so than Dani. She barely slept anymore. She couldn't even sleep in their room now. Grace's ghost was everywhere. Dani spent most of her time working with Lloyd and Maggie Fischer. Maggie had decided to stay on as second in command, helping mop up the remains of Legion. 

Apparently, Grace had been successful in 2022, because after more than 90 days, Dani was still alive in 2042. The skies outside were dampening and the days and nights grew colder as winter settled in. Dani remembered the short amount of time they had spent together, running for their lives. She sincerely hoped that her Grace had remembered to stop on that single night, to slow down and make everything wait while she made love to a younger version of Dani. She really hoped Grace was able to do it. If there could be another change in the timeline, maybe this wouldn’t happen again. 

Grace might have lived through the fight at the dam. Dani's last ace was having Stacy Lewis install a secondary power source inside of Grace without her knowing during her augmentation surgery. It remained dormant, undetectable until the primary reactor went offline. Dani certainly hoped that was the case, and that Grace found a way to survive with the other Dani and Sarah Connor at her side. Even if Grace had lived, this Dani would never see her again, so it was essentially like Grace had died.

Stacy Lewis returned to Highgate to begin shutting down the augmentation processes. Dani didn’t hear from her again. 

Dani sat in her desk chair, drinking the alcohol down, pouring herself another, and drinking that too. She stared at the file in front of her. She traced her fingertips across the old photos. The first one was tattered and torn, folded and creased from being safeguarded in pockets for years. It was a picture of little Grace with her dad. Dani could recall every single time she saw little Grace before Judgement Day. She should have swept her away then. Dani Ramos had a lot of regrets about what she should have done. She pulled out the second photo. Grace stood against the fence at Carlsbad, smiling at the polaroid camera. She was holding a freshly killed rabbit by the hind feet. Her fatigues were dirty. Her boonie hat nearly hid her deep blue eyes. Dani held the photo against her heart, remembering her lost love. She felt her chest heave. Her grief always found her, no matter how she tried to run from it. She remembered making love to Grace every single time. She forgave Grace for attacking her. She was proud of how much Grace had evolved from Carlsbad to Anaheim. She was certain that the Grace she sent back in time would be a careful and protective human being to her other self. Dani felt so alone. She’d give anything for just one more minute with Grace Harper. 

Dani set the photo back into the file, arranging it all nice and even before she closed the book on the Resistance 1st Ranger Division. She looked up at the amber colored geode from Highgate, wishing it was blue.


End file.
